Regina's Choice
by ConfusedColumbia26220
Summary: Regina is ready for love from a man, from a woman, perhaps both at once. Canon divergent from 4x21 with a few tweaks. Regina identifies as Poly Biromantic Lesbian. Main ships are Regal Cricket and Swan Queen. Other mentions: Dragon Queen, Captain Swan, Red Queen, Outlaw Queen, Fairy Queen and more. Triggers for mild violence and abuse. M rating for themes that are sexual and more.
1. Chapter 1

"You can be with as many other women as you want, Regina! I don't care about that. But why the hell would you want to be with men? You're supposed to be a lesbian!"

"Supposed to be?! Wow, I sure picked a fine one, here. Misandry and bi-erasure, all rolled up into one neat little package. If this is acceptance, you're doing a piss-poor job at it." Regina was fuming. Yes, it was understandable that being polyamorous would be a hurdle to get over with anyone, a deal-breaker for some. But that clearly wasn't the problem, here. "You knew from the beginning that I am biromantic, Mal!"

"You claimed to be poly as well, but you were acting pretty monogamous with me -"

"Now you're complaining I was spending quality time with you before branching out to juggle someone new? You are unbelievable." Regina stormed over, getting right in her face. "You are one fucking sexy woman, and I may have been blinded by that fact three times over now, but never again. I don't need sex to be happy, but I do need someone who won't erase part of me to make me fit neatly in their own little box. Someone who takes my word for what it is without making assumptions I actually meant otherwise. Have a nice life without me." As she got near the door, she shouted back over her shoulder, "I am not the Evil Queen anymore!"

After slamming the door behind her, Regina walked at a brisk pace down the streets of Storybrooke. The cool air nipped at her cheeks while tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. She had loved her, but she could now see they clearly hadn't had the healthiest of relationships. Any of the times they were together.

Regina shook her head as she turned the corner, mentally berating herself. Suddenly, the sound of barking pulled her out of her thoughts. She whipped her head around, trying to find the source. It was rather late for a dog walk. She frowned when she spotted the dog by itself. The dalmatian trotted up to her, raising onto its hind legs once it reached her, rubbing its nose against her stomach and whining.

"Where's your owner, Pongo?" Regina asked, affectionately scratching behind an ear, not even minding the paws on her clothing. Something didn't seem right. Pongo wasn't leashed.

After a few more scratches and pets, Pongo returned to all fours before turning and darting off back towards the direction he'd come.

"Pongo!" Regina started chasing after him in her heels, not wanting to lose sight of him.

Five minutes of good cardio later, Regina finally caught up to him and grabbed onto his collar. That should hopefully make sure that didn't happen again. "Alright," Regina panted. "Come on, boy." Once she had her bearings, Regina began leading Pongo in the direction of his owner's office. She supposed he didn't actually live there, but though her curse created the town, Regina didn't know exactly where everyone lived. Even after three something decades.

From then on, Pongo was fairly well behaved, though seemed worried as he continued to whine every few moments. Regina wasn't very familiar with dogs, but she did know they had a greater perception of certain things than people did. They were similar to horses in that regard.

Regina and Pongo reached Archie's office just in time to see the man in question sit down on the couch presumably used by his patients. His head went in his hands, not seeing them.

Regina cleared her throat in the open doorway.

Archie lifted his head up wearily, then saw Pongo and his face lit up. "Pongo!"

The dog was wagging its tail so fast, straining against Regina's hold on the collar so hard it nearly made her stumble a few steps. Regina released the collar, and Pongo ran over to Archie, leaping on him and licking all over his face.

Archie hugged Pongo and gratefully accepted the kisses, but eventually stood and approached Regina, towering over her even in her heels. "I've been looking for him all night and nearly gave up. Where did you find him?"

"He found me, actually. I wasn't sure you'd even be here, but everything seems to have worked out." Regina sighed, lowering her eyes.

"Pardon my asking, but is everything alright, Madame Mayor?"

Regina laughed thickly. "Is it ever?" She sighed again. "No." She moved to the door, but instead of leaving, merely closed it and leaned against it. She thought for a moment before looking at him. "Off the record?"

Believing he understood what she was asking, Archie grabbed his glasses and put them on, then reached for a paper pad. "Sure," he answered.

Regina shook her head. "You don't need that."

Archie paused, then withdrew his arm, not grabbing what he'd been reaching for. "Alright. Permission to keep the glasses, Madame Mayor? They're quite helpful in assisting my vision."

Was that a smirk? Was that… Did Regina detect sass in the town shrink? She couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes, you may keep your glasses." She moved to sit on the couch. Pongo immediately curled up next to her and placed his head on her lap. "Hello there," she whispered, stroking his head a few times.

Archie sat on the other side of Pongo. Not his usual spot, but the mayor had made it clear she wasn't looking to be shrinked, so to speak.

Regina looked at Archie. "So, what happened?"

"Oh. I… Well, I took a nap and I guess the door wasn't entirely closed, as it was wide open when I woke up and Pongo was gone. Usually if I nap and he needs to go out, he'll wake me up first, but not this time. Maybe he got himself lost. Chased a squirrel too far or something. I truly felt I'd looked everywhere," Archie explained.

"Well, he's back now. Not entirely sure why he's cuddling up to me, though."

"He knows something's bugging you," Archie stated simply.

Regina's lips twitched at 'bugging' coming from a cricket. It was lightly humorous. Then she sighed at the truth of the statement. She idly pet Pongo as she gathered her thoughts and let them out,

"For the longest time, I've been pining for True Love, and I thought it only looked a certain way. Romantic, with one other person. But everyone who I think it's supposed to be, or who I'm told it's supposed to be… It just doesn't work out that way. But there's also the familial kind. I know because I have it with Henry, as he has it with Emma. Though it makes me wonder… Are we only allowed one type? From what I can see, both Emma and myself don't have the greatest track records with relationships, so maybe we're both only allowed the familial kind with Henry? Look at the Charmings, they've got the romantic kind with each other, but I don't think they have the familial kind with either Emma or Neal. So, maybe we're only allowed one? But then, Henry gets both me and Emma, so that makes me wonder… if people can have more than one familial True Love, can people have more than one romantic True Love? I'm probably looking in all the wrong places, either way..."

Archie blinked a few times, taking in the ramblings. They made some sense, but there was more to it that wasn't being said. "You just said you're looking in all the wrong places. What do you mean by that?"

"I… Well, I kept thinking I loved Maleficent, but she doesn't accept all of me. Only part of me. Not even the part most would think. I don't know what your private life is like, but how's your take on sexuality?"

Archie blinked again, not expecting such a blunt question of that nature from Regina. "Well, it's fluid and changing. Many people struggle with it, but there are also many who don't. It's something everyone interprets differently, even the physical acts." He'd counseled many, many people who were struggling to come to terms with what they felt they were when it was different than what they or others thought they should be.

"Would you understand the term, 'poly biromantic lesbian'?" Regina asked.

"A woman who loves more than one person at a time, is romantically and/or emotionally attracted to both men and women, mainly if not entirely only attracted physically and/or sexually to women," Archie provided the answer as easily as if the question were about the color of the sky.

"So, it shouldn't be much of a surprise if that woman happens to be in a relationship with a woman and wants to also be in a relationship with a man, right? Or vice versa? When the other person already knows they didn't sign up for monogamy."

"Shouldn't be in theory, but in actuality, jealousy will commonly rear its head in the first partner when it's known a second is being sought after. Especially if the first partner doesn't have a second of their own nor plan to have another."

"Alright, well, specifically, Maleficent didn't care about me being with other women, so if it's jealousy, it's oddly targeted at an entire gender. She was angry at me for wanting to be involved with a man, too. But that's how I've always been. The poly part is a bit new, but isn't it just general common knowledge now that I cast the curse as part of my revenge for the male fiance I lost?"

"Not as common as you seem to think. Many don't think beyond the evil they see in someone to wonder how or why it's there in the first place. You've come a long way, Regina, but many of us don't have the slightest idea why you were the Evil Queen, we just know the fact that you were."

"Oh."

"Maybe in your immediate, closest circle it's common knowledge, but to the rest of us… Well, that was news to me. As I recall, you weren't much for talking to me, just sending Henry to me. I know you more as a public figure than as a person. Or, at least, that was the case before you walked in the door."

The more Regina thought about it, the more she realized he was right. She didn't really have a wide circle of friends. Her circle basically consisted of the Charmings, which included Henry and Emma, beyond the obvious, previously Maleficent, though she was done with that, reluctantly Rumple and therefore Belle, Hook… Robin before she sent him and his 'family' away. Maybe Granny and Ruby. That was a rather small and depressing circle. She supposed she should check in on Zelena's pregnancy, but she'd been done with Robin and would leave that side of it alone. She bitterly hoped Maleficent would be a better mother than she'd been a girlfriend.

"Hello?" Archie touched her shoulder. "Anyone in there?"

Regina snapped out of her thoughts. "Uh, sorry. I just realized how incredibly small my circle is." She shook her head then glanced down at the hand on her shoulder. "So… What is your private life like, Dr. Hopper?"

Archie nearly choked on his own saliva. "There's not much to tell. I date sometimes, but not often, as I don't seem to be the most attractive option in town. That doesn't really bother me, though. I've never felt a need for the presence of romance or sex in my life. I'm happy enough with Pongo being my constant companion and just being free to live my life the way I want to live it, not constantly being forced to do my parents' bidding. I've never needed a partner, marriage, or children to feel complete. They're all bonuses to me."

Regina smirked. "Yet, you appear to be blushing."

"Because I have eyes, and glasses, and one of the most beautiful women in town is sitting here asking me about my private life. I'm sure you'd be blushing, too." Archie didn't need the presence of romance or sex, but he wasn't a monk, and Regina was very attractive.

Regina felt butterflies at that response. She cleared her throat. "Well, I should be going. It's late and it seems we've both had long days." She carefully lifted Pongo's head off her lap so she could move off the couch and leave without so much as a backwards glance.

Because she needed to walk away and wait a day or two without acting on impulse in the heat of the moment. She needed to sleep on it a night or two to determine if she really felt an attraction to Dr. Archibald Hopper, or if she just liked the pretty words that had come out of his mouth.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Regina woke up to a phone call. She initially ignored it, thinking it might be Maleficent trying to reel her back in, and she wasn't going for it. Her cell wouldn't stop ringing, though, and when she finally grabbed it, she saw that it was Emma. It seemed far too early for her to be calling, as Henry wasn't even awake and getting ready for school yet.

"Yes, Miss Swan?" was how Regina answered. She hoped it would show how little she appreciated being called at such an inappropriate hour.

"Look, Regina… I – I know it's not my day, okay? But could I please have Henry tonight? After he's gone to school, of course." She seemed upset.

Regina wasn't used to 'please' coming from Emma very often. She was curious and wanted to be nosy, but she also wanted more sleep. "Okay. You can pick him up after school."

"Wha – Seriously? Just like that?!" Emma's tone was both surprised and skeptical, maybe a bit hopeful.

"Yes, just like that. Now kindly hang up before I change my mind."

"Thank you, Regina!" Click.

Wow, a please AND a thank you. Regina put her phone back on the night stand and closed her eyes again.

The next time Regina woke, it was to her alarm. She reluctantly pushed herself out of bed to start getting ready for her day. She wondered if Emma had really called or if she had just dreamt it. She checked her phone and, sure enough, there was a call from Emma that had lasted 56 seconds. She nodded to herself, remembering she'd given her permission to take Henry after school. Once she was Henry-presentable, which was an entirely different thing from general population of Storybrooke presentable, she went to his room and knocked at his door.

Henry pulled the door open, already wide awake and dressed for school. "Yeah?"

"Just checking that you were awake. Don't want you to be late."

"Mom?" Henry rose a skeptic eyebrow.

Regina cleared her throat. "Emma's going to pick you up after school today and you'll be spending the night with her."

"Wait – Wha? On a school night?!"

"Yes."

"But I made plans."

Regina shrugged. "Well, cancel them." As she walked away, she heard Henry grumbling something in frustration about kicking Hook's ass? Surely, she misheard. She continued on to the kitchen, making Henry a quick breakfast, knowing it might be the only decent meal he had that day.

Henry eventually made his way down to the kitchen. He sat and ate the food that had been prepared for him quickly, though he didn't scarf it down as usual. That meant he was either thinking about something or savoring it, possibly both.

As Regina watched him, she caught herself oddly wondering what Archie looked like while he ate. There had been times they were both at Granny's at the same time, though she didn't have a habit of watching the public masses eat. She shook herself out of her thoughts when she saw a hand waving in her face.

"Thanks for breakfast, Mom!" Henry hugged her and kissed her cheek. "Gotta run. Guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

Regina nodded. "Did you remember to grab your lunch?"

Henry held up the Tron lunchbox he still proudly sported around.

"Alright, have a good day. I expect you to call me once you're with Emma."

"Yeah, I know the drill, Mom." Henry gave her one more kiss on the cheek before scuffling off.

Regina watched him leave with a chuckle, shaking her head. She cleaned up the dishes, then retreated upstairs for a shower and to really get dressed, which included hair and makeup. She also needed coffee. Her breakfast would be a bagel with cream cheese, and then she'd make her way to the office.

* * *

Regina wasn't expecting to walk into her office and find Maleficent sitting in her damn chair. "What the hell are you doing here?" she hissed.

"Ooh, still testy, I see. I thought I'd given you enough time to calm down." Maleficent drummed her red talons against the desk.

"Calm – Calm down?! That wasn't just a fight, Maleficent, that was a finality. We're done. Over."

"Oh, we're never over. You keep coming back."

"Well, you don't seem to want me if I'm also with a man. I think I've found one, by the way. Your loss. Now get out of my office on foot before I send you flying out the window."

"I can't tell if that's a threat or foreplay." Maleficent flashed a dangerous smile.

"Did I stutter? Get the fuck out of here!" Regina waved a hand and sent Maleficent to the middle of the forest, not caring much what she did after that. She locked the office door and made sure to put up a Maleficent-specific forcefield around the building. She supposed she might need to do the same at home, as well. And her vault.

Regina had once felt grateful at the dragon's resurrection, but now she was feeling herself wishing she were dead again, and feeling just a touch guilty for thinking it. She hadn't wanted her dead the first time, but she hadn't had much choice in leading the way for Emma to kill her.

Regina sighed in aggravation before she sank into the chair previously occupied by Maleficent. At least she hadn't left any important documents out in the open and kept her drawer locked by blood magic. That could be an issue if Zelena wanted to create havoc again, but she was nicely locked up with a wrist cuff blocking her magic, so it was a non-issue for the time being.

She unlocked the door to retrieve relevant paperwork she needed to look over, and check her schedule of meetings. Some days it worked out where she didn't have to spend much time in the office at all, other days it worked out that she never got to go home. Especially if the whole town was on the line and work built up while that was being dealt with. Being Mayor was just like being a mother, the job was 24/7 whether you had the time and energy for it or not.

Regina perked up when she noticed there were some papers past due from the Sheriff's Station. That could be her in to talk to Emma, so long as she didn't send her father along instead.

At 8:30 that Wednesday morning, Regina picked up the office phone to dial the Sheriff's Station. Lucky for her, Emma was the one who answered,

"Yo, Sheriff's Station."

Regina chuckled. "Is that really how you answer the phone?"

Emma choked on air. "R-Regina! Uh, I mean, good morning, Madame Mayor."

Regina could practically hear Emma moving her feet off of the table and onto the floor. She'd walked in many times to Emma having her feet propped up so very unprofessionally, so she could also see it very well in her head. "I seem to have been missing some paperwork from you for a week now. I'm sure you know what it is. Do you think you could personally get it to me before lunch?"

"Sure," Emma answered. The sounds of papers shuffling and drawers being open and shut could be heard.

Regina could have made some crack about hoping it hadn't been lost, but she refrained for the time being.

"Alright, how's 9:00 sound?" Emma asked.

"9:00 sounds perfect." Regina hung up before Emma could respond. She glanced at the clock. Only 8:32. She was sure it would fly by, though.

Regina was 10 pages deep into an at least 30 page building proposal when there was a knock at the door. She stood and moved to answer it, revealing a puzzled looking Emma Swan.

"Since when did you start locking the door?"

"Long story." Regina waved it off. "Come on in." She returned to her seat, crossing one leg over the other after sitting. "I trust you have the paperwork?"

Emma held up some paper that appeared to be rolled in scroll form, then placed it down on Regina's desk.

"Have a seat." Regina motioned to an available chair in front of her desk.

"I thought you just wanted to get the papers. There they are."

"Yes, well, it wasn't strictly business, so sit."

Emma quirked an eyebrow but did as she was told. "What's up, Regina?"

"Tsk. Tsk." Regina shook her head. "No, that's what I'm to be asking you, albeit phrased differently. You didn't seriously think you could call me at ass o'clock in the morning to ask about having Henry on an abnormal day and not expect any questions after the fact, did you?"

Emma burst into a fit of giggles. "I'm sorry, did you just say, 'ass o'clock'?"

Regina waited for her to settle down, not even giving a twitch of a smile, maintaining a serious expression. Once she deemed Emma settled enough, she tried again, "What's going on, Emma? Did something happen?"

Emma sighed. She waved a hand so the door to the office closed, locked, and made sure it was soundproof so no one could overhear.

Regina cocked an eyebrow at the unusual show of magic.

Emma swallowed. "I – I'm..." She opened and closed her mouth a few times with several more false starts before finally choking out, "Pregnant."

Regina pursed her lips in distaste. "Congratulations?"

Emma shook her head with wide eyes. "No. I mean, I was… I was, but I..."

"Emma, you're not making sense."

"I was… pregnant. I'm n-not anymore."

"Okay… and?"

"I wanted it," Emma choked out in a whisper. "I wanted it, but he didn't. Well, not at first. But then I thought he got used to it, was okay with it. He'd make food for me, a couple days ago it was fish he'd caught himself. But then earlier, I woke up with really bad cramps, a-and then there was so much blood… I think he did it on purpose, Regina. I think he killed our baby."

Emma broke then, drawing her knees up into her chest and sobbing.

Regina just sat there for a couple moments with her jaw hanging open. That was beyond asinine, that was just inhumanly cruel. Once she was able to speak, she asked, "Did anyone else know?"

Emma shook her head. "Just-Just Henry. It was too early to start telling a lot of people."

"How early?"

"8 weeks."

While if it was indeed what Emma suspected, it would be very cruel on Hook's end to have done that, Regina knew there was a chance Emma was still pregnant. She stood up and walked around the desk to Emma. "We're going to the hospital."

Emma stared up at her as if she'd grown three additional heads. "What?" she breathed.

"We're going to the hospital. You need to be seen by a doctor." With that, Regina placed a hand on Emma's shoulder, and teleported them both to Storybrooke General Hospital.

"Why?" Emma asked in a sobbing whine.

"Because miscarriages don't always take care of themselves," Regina answered. She wasn't going to give her any false hope. She dragged her to the OB/GYN ward. "This is your number one patient right now. 8 week miscarriage."

"Alright, let's take a look."

"Regina, you're not leaving me here!" It wasn't a question, but a demand from Emma.

Regina took her hand. "I'm not." She gave it a squeeze. "I'm right here with you."

By 9:30, Emma was on the table in a gown, squeezing the life out of Regina's hand. She'd been unable to stop crying, especially when the doctor was doing a pelvic exam to confirm what she already knew.

"It doesn't look like there's any amniotic fluid leakage, here," the doctor commented.

Emma was confused, but could only wimper as a wand was inserted for a closer look.

It didn't take long for the conclusion to come that she hadn't actually miscarried, as a heartbeat could be heard.

"You're still pregnant, Emma," Regina told her. "Listen."

Emma swallowed and managed to stifle her sobs long enough to hear the heartbeat. "But… Wha-How?"

"This was only a threatened abortion, or threatened miscarriage, whichever term you prefer," the doctor explained. "Heavy bleeding can occur this early in pregnancies. It's good you came in, but you're still definitely pregnant."

"I...I was so scared!" Emma's free hand cradled her belly. "Thank you, Regina!" Without even thinking about it, she kissed the hand still in her own.

By 10:30 Emma was dressed in regular clothing again with some new pre-natal prescriptions, and the tears had gone away.

Emma hugged Regina tightly. Regina was just starting to relax into it when she broke away.

"I have to go tell Hook!" And with that Emma was darting away out of the hospital.

Regina felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. "Em - !" She reached out, then dropped her arm in defeat. She was long gone at that point anyway. She kicked the floor with her shoe. "Leave him, you stubborn woman," she whispered to thin air.

Maybe it was a coincidence that she had been fed fish with a potentially high Mercury content and then had miscarriage-like symptoms, and Emma had been wrong about Hook's intentions. But it told Regina volumes that Emma could think he could do such a thing. If she could believe that, even for a moment, regardless of how true or false it was, what the hell was she still doing with him?

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose and let her magic take her back to her office, mentally cursing the fact it was still too early to drink without sacrificing class.


	3. Chapter 3

Regina sighed heavily as she closed up the office for the day at 6:30 PM, well after Henry called when Emma picked him up. What a day. Emma, Maleficent, Archie, Emma again.

Since she wouldn't have to be providing Henry dinner that night, she made her way over to Granny's. 'Her' booth was vacant as always, but when she spotted Archie sitting on the opposite side of the eatery, she changed course. "Mind if I join you?"

Archie looked up. "Oh! Of course." He gestured to the open seat.

Regina sank into the chair. "You would not believe the day I've had."

"I'd say try me, but you seem exhausted." Archie was careful not to say 'look exhausted'. Phrasing things that way tended to make people touchy.

Regina nodded her agreement. "Have you already ordered?"

"I have."

"What are you getting?"

"Just a grilled cheese sandwich."

"That sounds good right now." Regina waved Ruby over. "I'll have what he's having." She cocked her head in his direction.

Ruby nodded. "Alright, Madame Mayor, making table four a double as we speak," she stated while jotting something down in her notepad.

Regina shamelessly watched those long legs stalk away. Then she returned her attention to Archie.

"Pongo's with Marco," he answered the unspoken question.

"I see." Regina rubbed her eyes, then sighed. "What are you supposed to do when you know your friend is in a bad relationship?"

"Let them make their own decisions."

Regina groaned. "I knew you were going to say that." She pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail.

That was a new look Archie hadn't seen her do before. It really made her features more visible.

"What?" Regina asked, catching him looking.

"I've never seen you with your hair pulled back. It used to be too short to be in a ponytail. It's a good look for you."

"Thank you." Regina dipped her head down. At that angle, she wondered if he could see her biting her lip in thought. She lifted her head again. "Last night you said something about only knowing me as a public figure, not as a person. How about we change that?"

"I wouldn't mind that." Archie took off his glasses long enough to clean them with his tie, then put them back on.

"Where should I start?" Her life just had so much stuff.

"Favorite color?" Archie prompted.

Although black was 'her color', Regina was aware it was actually a shade. "Purple."

"Cat person or dog person?"

"Horse person, actually. I just haven't been riding in a long, long while."

"Why's that?"

"I don't think there's enough time to answer that before the diner closes," Regina half-joked.

"Alright, another time then."

"It will take hours of monologues to get through my life story, or perhaps several thousand smaller questions," Regina pointed out.

"I'm not trying to learn your life faster than you've lived it. The pieces will add up together eventually."

"Sorry, I am very unused to getting to know someone this way, or having someone get to know me this way. They're either already legends, or they're thrust into my path somehow… I don't usually get to choose the pace of people ending up in my life. This is new."

"Everyone's usually a stranger until they're not. For me, you technically are the legend. Your curse may have turned me back into a man, though I'm sure I was a cricket for many years before you were even born. Still, you became known. Only you can really verify how much of what was known was true."

"Would you trust those verifications? I could easily lie."

"You could, but I don't think you will. I think your lying days are mostly behind you since the curse was broken."

Regina wasn't quite sure how to respond, and it was just as well. Their food was delivered to the table almost immediately after his sentence, saving her from needing to respond. Though, when they were alone again, she did feel the need to announce, "I don't normally eat like this. I tend to avoid greasy food, I just have a need for it today."

"I'm not here to judge your dietary habits, Regina. If I may call you that?"

"It's my name. It should be used more often," Regina stated as she picked up one diagonally cut half of her sandwich. She bit into a corner, and the melty cheese hitting her tongue caused a burst of flavor that made her eyes slip closed and a quiet, delighted moan escape her throat. Diner food was a guilty pleasure.

Archie didn't verbally react, but took notice of the joy in her expression that had been absent before the food arrived. Amazing how something as simple as food could visibly brighten one's day, whether they were aware of it or not. The sandwich didn't cause him the same kind of reaction, but he suspected she'd had the worse day.

When Regina's eyes opened again, they happened to lock right onto his. She'd never noticed how blue they were before. They were pretty, kind. She forced the gaze to break. She didn't want to let the butterflies come back until she knew he would be interested in more than friendship. Hell, she hadn't been very specific in her question the prior night, and his answer had provided nothing about his current availability. The man dated, but not often. That could mean he was already dating, and he seemed the monogamous type, though she wouldn't assume. He could also be contently single and not looking to change that.

Then again, he had called her beautiful. Though that could have been meant platonically. Navigating this part of life was always super complicated.

"You seem deep in thought," Archie observed, noticing she had only taken the one bite.

"I am," Regina stated. There wasn't much sense in denying it.

"Anything you want to talk about?"

Regina chewed on her lip a moment before looking at him, who seemed to be half finished with his meal already. "Maybe. Yes, I think? I don't know, the timing seems odd, but that might always be the case."

Archie simply waited for her to make her decision.

"Are you dating anyone right now?" Regina eventually asked.

"No."

"If you were, would you be monogamous to that person?"

"Yes."

Regina sipped at the water that was automatically provided by the diner, glad to have something to wet her suddenly dry throat. Then she took a few more bites of her grilled cheese, as her stomach reminded her of her hunger. She drank some more of her water before returning her attention to him. "Are you interested in me?"

"I find you very interesting," Archie answered without missing a beat.

"I mean on a level deeper than friendship," Regina clarified.

"I could be."

"Could be?"

"I'm not sure I can give a definite answer to the parameters you gave me. I can't know if I'm interested in you on a level deeper than friendship when we've only just started to go beyond mere acquaintanceship."

It annoyed Regina how true his answer was, as it probably meant they weren't on the same page.

"If you're wanting to know if I find you attractive, the answer is yes," Archie continued. "Though I don't think that's a perspective unique to me, looks alone. Beyond that, you have a very interesting, intriguing enigma of a personality. Would I be interested in exploring that attraction and getting to know you better? Yes. I think that could be difficult without a foundation of friendship first, as that has a clearer set of boundaries than anything beyond that."

"Are you always so logical?"

Archie smiled before throwing out his pun, "Psychological."

Regina slapped her hands against her own thighs. "If I had fries, I'd throw one at you!" She shook her head before resuming her meal. A few minutes passed. "So, basically," Regina tried. "You'd date me in theory, but in actuality need to know me better before deciding whether or not to take that step?"

"Exactly. I don't want to end up wasting your time. That's not me being self-deprecating, that's just me knowing it isn't healthy to waste time on the wrong person. I may not know all of who you are yet, but I do know I wouldn't want anyone shaving pieces of themselves away to try and be a compatible match to me, nor do I want to do that to myself to try to fit with anyone else. Some people just don't fit together, and that's okay. We don't know each other well enough yet to know if it's a good fit or not."

Regina chuckled. "Maybe if I thought more like you I could have saved a lot of time in my life." She rummaged in her purse for a moment, having finished her grilled cheese. "Well, this is almost a practice run. This is how it would go if we did date: meals out would be Dutch. I'll pay for mine, you'll pay for yours." She placed a bill on the table.

"Does it work that way for everyone?" Archie asked curiously.

"It depends. If I know someone has their own money, it's Dutch. Unless it's an occasion in which it makes sense for me to be gifted, like my birthday, which is February 1st. Or their birthday, then I'd gift them." At that moment, Regina's cell began to ring. "And with that, I'll take my leave." She left the table, digging for her phone in her purse as she went. She got it out successfully as she reached the entrance/exit of Granny's. Emma. 7:45 PM. She pushed the door open with her shoulder as she answered, "Emma?"

"He wasn't happy," Emma whispered hoarsely.

"I can barely hear you."

Emma cleared her throat. "I told Hook that I saw a doctor and hadn't actually lost the baby, and he… looked disappointed. He put on a mask of relief pretty quickly, but I'd already seen the disappointment. He'd wanted me to lose it, Regina… I don't know what to do."

"Where are you?" Regina asked. "Where's Henry?"

"At my parents'," Emma answered.

"I'm coming over." Regina teleported mid-step, landing right in the middle of the Charming's living room.

Snow shrieked in surprise, clutching Neal tighter.

"Regina? What on Earth?" Charming's questions fell on deaf ears.

"Emma, where are you?" Regina asked into the still connected call.

"Upstairs."

Regina hung up and bolted up the stairs, nearly colliding into Henry who was on his way down them.

"Mom?" he asked, confused.

"I need to talk to Emma for a moment. You stay downstairs with your grandparents and uncle, alright?"

Henry nodded, sensing the urgency, though still confused.

Regina let Henry pass before she continued up the stairs, eventually reaching Emma, curled up on the bed. She frowned. Love didn't result in the pitiful picture Emma made at that moment. She moved to sit next to her. "You said you don't know what to do, so how about I tell you?" She waited for Emma to lift her head and look up at her. "Leave his ass! If Hook respected you at all, he would have had the decency to ask you to consider getting an abortion rather than try to force a miscarriage and make it seem like it just happened naturally. You deserve better than that."

Emma shook her head hard. "M-Maybe I'll just give it up for adoption. It's okay if he doesn't want kids – "

"Emma!" Regina snapped, angry she was making excuses for him. "You told me you wanted this baby. Do not give it up just to please a man who doesn't want it. What if you really had lost it, huh? Would you just go back to him then, too?"

"I ca – I can't do it alone, Regina. I can't. Maybe y-you can, but I'm not you, and I can't do it alone."

"Emma Swan, I have done my very best to respect your life choices, considering we share a son. But if you give that baby away for any other reason than feeling that's the best option for you and the baby, and if you stay with him… I won't be able to look at you. I will lose all respect for you that you've managed to earn thus far. I know you don't want this. You only told me your suspicions because you were crying for help. Help has arrived. I told you what you need to do."

Emma whimpered, followed by a harsh sob. "Why are you being so mean?!"

Regina inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, realizing she was taking her rage out on the wrong person. "Because I hate what he's done to you," she answered as calmly as she could in that moment. "You were defending him and that pissed me off, but I shouldn't be taking it out on you. I'm sorry. You've been through enough." She felt remorseful and a bit guilty. She laid herself down next to her on the bed, though she stayed on her back. "There is no justifying what he did in a positive light, and his reaction to the news tells me he did it intentionally. It's your decision if you want to keep the baby, Emma. It's not his. You think you'd have to raise it alone if you didn't have his help, but you wouldn't. You've got your parents, me, even Henry. I know I just hurt you, so maybe it doesn't mean as much, but you wouldn't be alone."

Emma turned to face her the best she could. "My super power still works with you. I know you meant your apology." It wasn't until Regina turned her head that Emma noticed the tear tracks on her face. "Why are you crying over my drama?"

"Because it's mine now, too. I was there, Emma. I heard the heartbeat. You were so relieved. So hearing you talk about tossing it away so easily just to appease Hook… It's not you, and hearing you not be yourself hurts."

"I'm scared, Regina," Emma whispered.

"I know you are." Regina took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Listen to me, Emma. I am here for you. However you need me. Understand?"

They locked eyes. Emma nodded. 


	4. Chapter 4

Regina threw the dart with precision, then another and another until she'd run out of darts. She didn't often make use of the game room, but she needed a productive outlet for the destruction she wished to cause. It was Friday, and Emma had made no move to unanchor herself from the pirate. It was Friday, and Maleficent still wasn't getting the hint – or was ignoring it completely. Friday, and her traitorous brain kept flashing to stupid Archie fantasies. His brainy concepts on relationship constructs and time investment only served to make her infuriatingly impatient. Go figure, someone is actually respectful and it's such a turn on that the fact they're so respectful starts to piss her off. She bet if she'd admitted that to him, his psychoanalysis would be novel length.

She hadn't even tried to check on Zelena yet, that being a whole other can of worms she did not feel like opening. One pregnancy at a time. Interesting that Emma's was pulling the focus away from he own half-sister's – that was her future niece or nephew in there. Then again, Emma's was Henry's future sibling.

Regina used her magic to return the darts to her hand, then started throwing them again. She growled as she realized the outlet was no longer good enough. She was uncomfortably horny. Normally, Maleficent would be a good fix for that, but considering the dragon was being stalker-y – Sex, even hate sex, would send the wrong signal. Besides, there were too many damn strings attached with that one, and it would get messy fast.

Regina needed someone neutral. Someone she wasn't emotionally invested in whatsoever. She smiled salaciously as she thought of just the right person. 

* * *

Regina had waited until Henry was in bed before slipping out of the house. She wore heels that were better suited for a nightclub than a day at the office. Her hair was down and she'd feathered it out. Her dress was a deep V-neck, short sleeved and the hem stopped just above the knees. She chose to skip the bra and had no stockings of any kind. She had considered fishnets, but didn't want to be too obvious or attract attention from anyone who wasn't the one she had in mind.

She waited by the back exit of Granny's until the brunette leggy waitress emerged in little more than her white crop top and short shorts. "Ruby."

The wolf jumped at the unexpected voice. She looked towards the source. "Ma – Madame Mayor?!" She eyed the slightly unusual outfit. "What are you doing here?"

Regina passed on the perfectly cheesy opportunity to respond, 'You, hopefully.' After all, she didn't want to come across as desperate. Instead, she simply tilted her head. "Like what you see, wolf?"

Ruby swallowed, feeling as though she were being tested somehow.

"Because if you do," Regina continued. "I am here to offer you a once in a lifetime opportunity."

"You're… going to give me a million dollars?"

Regina chuckled. "I might as well be. Just answer three questions for me. Firstly, do you find me physically attractive?"

Ruby's eyes nearly popped out of her head at how coolly the question came out. "Uh, hell yes."

"Secondly, do you now or have you ever wanted to date me?"

Ruby shifted uncomfortably. "Sorry, no."

To Ruby's surprise, Regina grinned.

"Lastly," Regina went on. "Would you like to have no strings attached sex with me right now?"

Ruby's eyes widened. Was this real life? "I very much fucking would!"

"Alright then." Regina took Ruby's hand and let their magic carry them into her bedroom, which was already locked and soundproofed for the occasion. She released it before moving to sit on the center of the foot of the bed. "Rules: No biting or scratching, I have no desire to become a wolf. No offense. Once we're done, we're done. No sleeping over and no cuddling. If you fall asleep, I'm still kicking you out. Though I am not so cruel to let you leave your dignity behind. I will send you away with what you call clothing and make sure you are sent to an unoccupied room at Granny's. I can't promise you'll have a pretty landing on a bed. Don't fall in love – don't scoff or laugh at that, it's happened. I am not your friend, I am not your lover. This is strictly sex. This can be a more than one time thing until either of us are in a relationship as I do not wish anyone to hear of this, and I know how much of a gossip you can be. This also stops if I hear even one whisper implying we've done anything we're about to do. Got it?"

Ruby blinked a few times and swallowed. That was a lot of rules. "Yes, Ma'am!"

"Good girl." Regina spread her legs slightly, then patted her thighs. "Come here."

Ruby moved to straddle Regina's lap, carefully resting her arms on her shoulders.

Regina lifted her head to meet her eyes, hands supporting her waist. "Do you have any rules?" she asked sweetly.

Ruby wet her lips nervously. Her brain had completely blanked out. "Umm… You'll probably want to stop if my eyes flash yellow. It's not Wolfs Time, but if the wolf gets more turned on than the human, she'll want to come out and play."

"Good to know." Regina moved a hand to thread into her hair and pressed a kiss to her neck right beneath her jaw.

Ruby's eyes closed. "Ooh." Her tensions eased away and she relaxed.

Regina kissed all along her neck, starting slow, but picking up the pace as she grew impatient. Her hands stroked along the skin that was already exposed between the crop top and the shorts, enjoying the smoothness and femininity of her skin. In her eagerness, she fell back on the bed, bringing Ruby down on top of her.

Ruby smiled at the pleasant sensations and giggled during the fall, still not quite believing what was happening. She had always thought the mayor was unreachable and untouchable, but there she was, on top of her in her bed. She placed her hands on the bed, hovering over Regina for a moment before pushing herself back. Before she could be questioned, she moved down and started kissing one of her legs, moving those kisses down until she reached her shoe. She released her foot from the strappy torture, then moved to repeat the process with her other leg, kisses and all.

It took all of Regina's willpower not to squirm and make noises. She had never been kissed like that and it sort of tickled, but at the same time it felt really good. Each kiss shot the tiniest little waves of pleasure straight to her core, making her wetter than she already had been. She hadn't realized her eyes were closed until she felt the weight of another body on her and lips being pressed against her own. Regina eagerly accepted and returned the kiss, wanting to explore and be explored. It didn't take long for the temperature to spike and for breathing to become difficult.

Regina broke away from the kiss and panted out, "Get me out of this dress!"

Ruby wasted no time in doing what she was told. One hand reached around, expertly finding the zipper on Regina's back. She drew it down as far as it would go. Then she easily lifted the dress, pushing it up her body until it could come away from her arms and head. Her jaw dropped at the sight she was gifted with. "Fuck, you're even more gorgeous than I imagined," she husked in awe.

Regina beamed at the compliment. "Let's see what you've got." Although it was not clothing she was familiar with, her fingers made deft work of untying and unbuttoning Ruby's crop top. She was not expecting the crop top to have essentially been acting as a corset making the wolf appear rather flat chested when that wasn't the case at all. Once the last button had been popped, Ruby's breasts greeted her enthusiastically, as if very grateful to have been freed. "Hello." Regina looked up at her face quizzically. "How on earth do you keep them pinned down like that?"

Ruby gave her a look. "You know how people look at me. Can you imagine what it would be like if I made the true size obvious?"

Regina supposed she had a point. "Even so..." She gently traced one of the many lines on her breasts. Results of being constricted by something too small. "Seems painful."

Ruby threw her head back and laughed. "Painful is when skin rips open and muscles shift to turn into a wolf."

Right. In comparison to that, tightly bound breasts must feel like nothing. Regina shook her head. "Anyway..." She gently pulled her down so their breasts pressed together and let out a hiss of delight.

Ruby dropped a kiss to her shoulder, then licked the shell of her ear. "I'm super wet for you."

With that, Regina flipped them so she could be on top. "Let's see." She easily pulled off the shorts that had barely covered anything to reveal rather pretty red underwear that was visibly dampened. Regina smirked as she got an idea. She positioned herself so black underwear grazed against red.

Ruby gasped at the unexpected move. Her hands fisted the bedding. "Ohmygod," she breathed out in a rush.

Sometimes the barrier of fabric could be a turn on, especially when the layer was as thin as it was. Regina repeated the action, grinding more purposefully. She slid a hand into Ruby's hair again, holding the back of her head as she kissed her deeply, doing her best to keep their upper bodies pressed together while continuing to grind.

Ruby let out muffled squeals and moans, letting Regina have all the control as she was thoroughly enjoying what was happening. She managed to part her legs further, enabling her to feel even more of the combination of wet fabric and heat that was starting to drive her wild. Her hips began to move in time with Regina's of their own accord, and she could no longer keep up with the kiss.

Regina let go of her head and used both hands to keep her balance on the bed as she really threw her effort into riding her. She was surprised but grateful her headboard wasn't smacking the wall, although the bed was squeaking in an annoyingly cliché way.

Both women were slick with sweat when Ruby cried out in pleasure, bliss claiming her first. Regina toned down the grinding, not wanting to overstimulate her, though not stopping completely, either. She let the pumping of her hips become softer, deciding to be nice by possibly prolonging Ruby's orgasm. Soon enough, both red and black underwear were soaking wet, but it didn't matter in that moment. Regina watched that heaving chest and those far away eyes and was almost jealous, though pleased in her ability to provoke such an outcome.

It hadn't been enough to ease Regina's pent up rage. It was a good start, but it wasn't enough to fuck. She needed to be fucked. Hard.

Ruby rode out her high, laying there until the tingly numbness went away. "That was just me, wasn't it?" she asked knowingly, if bashfully.

Regina nodded, wondering when they'd both wound up on their sides.

Ruby squirmed a bit before ridding herself of her nearly ruined underwear. She planted a kiss of thanks to Regina's lips. "What do you need, Regina?"

Regina looked straight into her eyes and answered coarsely, "Fuck me."

Ruby rid Regina of her underwear and once again admired her beautiful body from head to toe. She squeezed her breasts, wanting to have at least done it once while she still had the opportunity. Then she sucked at each nipple briefly, as they'd already been hard for a while. There hadn't been much reaction earned from that, so Ruby got on with it and cupped between her legs, which resulted in a deep groan.

"Ruby," Regina whispered her plea. Her need was great enough to warrant begging, even as her head lolled and her eyes slipped closed.

Ruby took her cue and began caressing the slick folds, pressing a sweet kiss to her lips. It was only when she found she could slide not two, but three fingers into her easily that she realized how ready she was. She curled and straightened her fingers within her, searching for feel good spots while adjusting. Once adjusted, she began pumping her fingers. She started off slow, but when Regina grabbed her shoulders tightly, she picked up the pace to a vigorous speed. She knew she was on the right track when she heard Regina's breath turn into pants and strangled mewls began emitting from her throat.

Ruby continued to pump as hard and fast as she dared before risking crossing over into wolf territory. She watched as her voluptuous body writhed in pleasure, although she could tell she hadn't yet reached her peak.

Regina's eyes squeezed shut when she began to feel pressure building between her legs. She'd never fully relaxed, as she could feel pressure building behind her eyes, as well. She blindly reached for the other woman, pulling her into a sloppy and desperate kiss. It noticeably caused her to fumble the rhythm, but Regina didn't care. She tangled her hands in that hair again and held onto it like a lifeline.

Sensing she wasn't going to be freed any time soon, Ruby adjusted. Not breaking the kiss, she shifted to straddle the mayor once more, though she made sure to only put pressure on her clit. She began grinding against it very gently, continuing to pump her fingers within her, though not as vigorously as before. She rolled her hips sensuously while kissing her almost tenderly. She stretched her fingers within her, trying everything to give her what she needed.

Regina's orgasm snuck up on her. Her entire body tensed while her eyes nearly rolled into the back of her head, causing her to break the kiss in a silent scream before the trembling began. Behind closed eyes, she saw a flash of blonde hair. As one warm liquid coated her thighs another leaked from her eyes. She covered her mouth with her hand, letting her brain fog over as she drowned in almost perfect pleasure. As the high faded, a whimper of a sob escaped, followed by the near silent whisper, "Emma."

With human hearing, one would have to strain extremely hard to hear anything at all, much less the actual word. Wolf hearing, though, picked it up without a problem. Ruby couldn't help but feel a little hurt, although she knew Regina likely wasn't aware it had been said.

Ruby waited to be dismissed. That was one secret she would take to the grave.


	5. Chapter 5

Saturday morning, Regina was on the way to check if the convenience store had that new comic book in stock that Henry kept talking about. Suddenly, she found herself pushed into the wall of a building, pinned.

"Now you resort to hurting my daughter, Regina?!" Maleficent hissed in her face.

Regina's eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about? I haven't seen, spoken to, nor touched Lily."

"You didn't have to. She saw you with the wolf last night."

"What?!"

"Ruby. Lily saw you all dolled up outside the back of Granny's, then whisking her off who knows where. It doesn't take a genius to connect the dots, plus I can smell her all over you. She'd been waiting for her, too."

"Well, I didn't fucking know! Not everything is about you, Mal. I don't plot every hour and think, 'gee, how badly can I hurt Maleficent this time?'! I wouldn't have gone near Ruby if she were in a relationship, and I made that very clear, so if your little dragon has a crush I doubt Ruby knows about it."

Maleficent's nostrils flared as a hand shot out to squeeze Regina's throat.

Regina barely flinched. "Let me repeat myself," she stated as calmly as was possible with a restricted airway. "I did not sleep with Ruby to hurt Lily or you. If that happened, it was an unfortunate coincidence and I am sorry. It won't happen again."

Maleficent released her throat with a growl. "I'm watching you, Regina," she warned.

"Yeah, could you stop that? It's fucking creepy. It's been nearly a week. I can not spell it out any clearer that we are over. You lost your chance, and stalking me certainly isn't doing you any favors."

"Do you ever wonder why Lily is having such a hard time finding her father, Regina?"

Regina slapped her right across the face. "Don't you dare!" She sternly pointed a finger at her face. "Don't you dare finish that thought!" Because fuck Maleficent's manipulative mind games. Now, heaving with rage, she threw her hands up and poofed herself away, wanting to be anywhere that didn't involve being pinned against a wall by Maleficent.

When the smoke cleared, Regina found herself standing in the middle of Archie's office. Of course. That wasn't awkward at all. Regina laughed in disbelief and sank down on the couch, only to have Pongo jump up onto her lap and start licking her face.

The sound of a toilet flushing could be heard, then running water, then Archie was emerging from the small bathroom attached to the office, whistling. He stopped dead in his tracks when he realized he wasn't alone. "Regina?" He checked his watch. It was 8:30 and his Saturday hours didn't start until 9:00. "I haven't even unlocked the door, how did you get in here?"

"I'm magical," Regina answered honestly, if sardonically.

"Ah, right. I suppose that will do the trick." Archie tucked his hands into his pockets awkwardly. He didn't mind the intrusion to his domain, though it did leave him feeling terribly out of place.

"Even without that, I am the Mayor and I have a key that matches every type of lock that isn't touched by magic. I could have gotten in that way any time."

"You could, but you don't usually do that."

"I don't," Regina agreed. She sighed heavily and lightly pushed Pongo away, tired of the affectionate bath she'd been receiving. "And now I doubt I have any makeup left whatsoever."

"Pongo, bed," Archie ordered authoritatively. Pongo obediently trotted off to the dog bed in the corner and curled up on it, tucking his nose under his paw.

Regina sat up straighter, looking between Archie and Pongo. "Impressive." She rarely heard the usually soft-spoken man take on a tone of authority.

Archie shrugged. "He's well trained." He finally decided to join her on the couch, though kept a respectable distance between them. "So, what brings you here, Regina? Besides magic."

Regina chuckled. "I guess we don't need a villain of the month around for my life to be a hell that crumbles all around me." She shook her head. "I am the most powerful woman in town and yet I'm constantly left feeling powerless. I can't even look for a comic book for Henry without something going wrong." She pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut. She was going to be so pissed if she ended up crying in front of the cricket.

"What comic book?" Archie asked.

Regina was surprised by the question. "Uh..." She rummaged through her purse until she found the scrap of paper with Henry's handwriting on it. She squinted at it. His penmanship wasn't the greatest. That, and she happened to be holding it upside down. She quickly flipped it to its proper position. "It's Marvel. Secret Wars, Issue… I can't tell if that's a four or a nine."

"It's a four."

Regina looked at him. "What? You're not even looking at it, how do you know?"

"Because it was just published earlier this month, and it's the fourth issue," Archie answered simply. He got up and moved to his desk, opening a drawer, only to pull out a comic book. He placed it on Regina's lap. "Henry can have it."

Surely enough, #4 of 8 was listed in the upper right hand corner, and the title 'SECRET WARS' couldn't be missed with a font that size. Regina gaped at him in shock. Then she flipped the cover open to find the date of publication, which was July 1, 2015. "It's been seventeen days. You just happened to have it?"

Archie took his prior seat once more. "How do you think I was able to connect with Henry during the initial therapy sessions? We had to have something in common."

"Dr. Hopper, are you telling me you're a comic book nerd?"

"I believe you just called Henry a nerd by proxy."

"I did not!"

Archie laughed. "Whatever you say."

Regina looked between him and the comic book. "You'd really just give it up?"

"I've already read it, and if I hold onto it I'll only pick it apart. Henry seems the type to enjoy re-reading it until the next issue comes out. He'll benefit from it more than me at this point."

"Really?" Regina asked again.

"Yes."

After a moment, Regina placed her purse and the comic down on the floor. Then she closed the giant gap between them on the couch, sliding closer until she could wrap her arms around him, tucking her cheek against his shoulder. "Thank you," she spoke gratefully while her body relaxed against him. "That's the first good thing to happen today."

It soon became clear that Regina wasn't planning on letting go any time soon, so Archie somewhat awkwardly wrapped his arms around her considerably smaller frame in return. "Happy to help, Regina," he murmured.

Regina closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, enjoying the moment. There was just something about the embrace of a man, even if merely a friendly one. Maybe it had something to do with feeling safer in her father's arms as a child, no matter how spineless he was, while she feared her mother and did not dare cross her for several years. She subconsciously tightened her grip at the thought of her parents.

Minutes later, an alarm on Archie's watch began beeping. "8:45," he stated as he carefully reached for the button to turn it off. "That's my cue to start preparing for the day. My first appointment starts right at 9:00."

Regina lifted her head and carefully disentangled herself. "Well." She stood up, straightening her shirt a bit and brushing her hands along her skirt. "I suppose I should be getting out of your hair, then." She retrieved her purse and the comic book from the floor. "You are seriously my hero for this." She gestured to the comic. "Thank you, again." Instead of walking out the door, she chose to leave in the same manner she'd arrived.

"You're -" Before Archie could finish, there was nothing more than wisps of purple smoke where Regina had been standing. "- Welcome," he finished to the thin air. He moved off the couch to search his desk for the appropriate notes he would need to review.

* * *

Regina landed in her bedroom, which made her shudder. She immediately abandoned the purse and comic to strip the bed down. She would be wanting to sleep on clean bedding that night. Sometimes taking care of chores the mundane way could be cathartic. She had, after all, spent most of her years in Storybrooke without her magic, rather than with it.

Now that her mission had been accomplished, albeit in an unexpected way, she decided she would simply have a laundry day. The bedding was top priority, and while the sheets and pillowcases were being washed, Regina made her way to Henry's room. She knocked, received no answer, then went in to discover he wasn't there. She wasn't too alarmed, he was a 13 year old boy, 14 in less than a month, and it was the weekend. She had more trouble when he was younger and hopped on busses to cross sate lines.

Regina shook her head as she had to collect miscellaneous dirty clothing that was strewn around the room haphazardly. It was amazing how there was a laundry basket provided, yet that was nearly empty, and finding the dirty clothes was like a gross scavenger hunt she would definitely be washing her hands after. "Henry, Henry, Henry," she muttered under her breath.

Finally, it seemed she'd collected every stray article into the basket they should have started in. She placed it near the washer/dryer set, then washed her hands. After that, while she waited to move the sheets and pillowcases into the dryer, she decided to read that comic book. She didn't screen every comic he received, that would just be simply far too time consuming. She needed a time killer, though, and it was available. A little voice in her head taunted her that it was because Archie had also read it and was the previous owner, but she batted it away.

Three pages in and Regina was completely lost. How was anyone expected to keep up with who all the characters were and all the different stories? She found herself having to re-read sections, as she would often start reading from the wrong place, or not absorbing or understanding any of it. She was determined, however. By the time all the laundry was done, she had successfully read it cover to cover. Now that she had accomplished such a feat, she knew it was something she never, ever desired to do again. She commended Henry in his ability to keep up with his soap opera cartoon books, but she just couldn't do it.

As she was putting Henry's clean and folded clothes away, she began to feel faint, and that was when she realized it was 2:00 PM and she hadn't eaten all day. She went out to her backyard and plucked an apple from her tree. She leaned against the trunk of it while she ate it. Once finished, she returned inside, soon remaking her bed with her freshly cleaned bedding.

It was only then she felt compelled to check her phone, which was still in the purse she'd abandoned in her room. As soon as she looked at it, she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. It was 2:27 PM and she had racked up 5 missed calls, all from Emma. "Shit," she whispered. She immediately called her back, chewing her lower lip nervously while listening to it ring.

"Now she calls me back," was how Emma answered.

"Excuse me? I called the second I saw I had missed calls. Sue me for letting your son's laundry distract me!"

"My son?"

"Yes, when he does something like put his dirty clothes anywhere but the laundry basket as intended, Henry is your son," Regina explained exasperatedly. "We've been through this several times before. Rehashing it is quite tedious." It was apparent the woman wasn't dying, so she was comfortable sliding into their usual banter.

"You said you'd be here for me," Emma stated seriously, dejectedly.

"What? I am! I wasn't intentionally ignoring you. What do you need?"

"Well, now it just seems stupid."

"Swan!" Regina could hear distantly through the line. "Who the hell are you talking to?!"

"I – I've gotta go," Emma muttered quickly before hanging up.

"Em -!" Click. "Emma," Regina stated her name sadly. Something wasn't right.

Soon, Regina found herself calling Snow.

"Regina?" Snow answered, surprised.

"Snow, we have a problem, and his name is Killian Jones."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I think he's holding your daughter emotionally hostage."

"Regina, do… Do you have access to the water that combats the Neverland nightshade poison?"

Regina was thrown off by the question. "It wouldn't be too hard to find."

"Then that pirate has no worth to me."

Regina's eyebrows shot up. "Snow?"

"We've been trying to convince her to leave him for weeks. Henry's never liked him, and it took us a while to get on the same page as him, but we are. We've only been tolerating him now because we thought he was the only one that could supply David with the water he needs. If you can get it, Regina… I'd be glad to see him gone."

"I'll see what I can do." Regina ended the call more confused than she had been when she first made it.

* * *

Regina waved a hand over the mirror in her vault, keeping the visuals one-way for the time being, but letting the sound be heard both ways. "Ariel," she called out as her magic searched for the mermaid. "Ariel!" Soon enough, the mermaid's face filled the space of the mirror. Regina let the visuals be both ways, then. "Hello, Ariel."

"Regina?" Ariel asked, while plucking seaweed out of her own hair.

"Yes. I trust you remember me?"

"Of course. Not many pleasant memories, though you did return my voice last time."

Regina inclined her head. "I've contacted you to ask for a favor, though it isn't for me. You remember Snow White?"

"Of course!"

"Well, during our time in Neverland, her husband contracted the nightshade poison. He is able to survive with a special water that combats the effects. I know how quickly mermaids can travel realms. Would you be able to find and retrieve this water, have it be brought to Storybrooke?"

Ariel nodded. "I think so."

"Excellent. Do you think you could do it every day, or perhaps every week?"

Ariel tilted her head. "That kind of delivery service is going to cost you, even if it is for Snow."

"Name it."

"Let's start with those earrings you're wearing."

Regina's hands shot up to the studs she had in her ears with a huff. She knew by feel without even seeing her reflection that they were genuine diamond. "Fine, but you get them separately, and they are worth at least a week's worth of delivery each."

"Fine. I assume you'd like the first delivery tonight?"

"Please."

By 7:00 PM that Saturday night in July of 2015, Regina had gained a week's supply of antidote for Charming, and was down one very expensive diamond earring.


	6. Chapter 6

At 9:30 that Saturday evening, Regina was on the Charmings' porch with her arms full. She lightly kicked at the door a couple times in lieu of knocking.

Snow opened the door moments later. "Is that…?"

"Yes."

"That was quick."

"I had help, this should be enough for a week."

"A week? More like a month."

"Even better."

Snow finally released Regina's arms of their burden. "If you're going to come in, you need to be very quiet. I just got Neal to sleep again."

Regina nodded, then followed her frenemy inside, silently closing the door behind herself. As Snow retreated to the kitchen, Regina found herself following her once again. She took a seat at the island without being told or invited, watching as the other woman found places for the very important water.

Once Snow was finished, she stood opposite Regina, propping her elbows on the counter and leaning in. "Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome," Regina whispered back. "Now, what are we going to do about Hook?"

"Intervention."

"Intervention? With who?"

Snow rolled her eyes. "Emma. You, me, David, Henry, maybe even Gold."

Regina gave her a pointed look. "Gold?"

"He's known and hated him the most out of all of us."

"Which Emma knows. There's no reasonable explanation outside of the obvious for her to walk into a room and see us all together. It would tip her off."

"He's Henry's other grandfather," Snow pointed out.

Regina made a face. "In name only."

"Alright, fine. No Gold. Anyone else?"

Regina shook her head vehemently. "No. Just the four of us. It's her family that matters, not Henry's, although there is considerable overlap between the two."

Snow smirked. "You just included yourself as part of her family."

"Because I am. Moreso than that damn pirate, anyway."

Snow held her hands up placatingly, hoping to show her agreement.

"Granny's makes the most sense to do this at," Regina stated. "But when? How can we get her away from him?"

"I can tell him David's nearly run out of the water again, send him for more. It will take him much longer to acquire it than it took you," Snow suggested. "And while he's gone..."

"We create a situation to get the Savior to the diner. Zelena escaped the hospital and is trying to steal Neal again."

"Maybe." Snow shrugged.

"Do you have a better idea?"

"We switched bodies."

Regina rose an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"Some magical mishap made us switch bodies, and we need the Savior's help to switch back."

Regina snorted, shaking her head. "No way, she would never buy that. Her superpower may be rusty with you, but it's never rusty with me."

"Let's ask Henry for ideas, then. He's creative. He'll probably have an Operation name and everything," Snow suggested.

"Oh, I already have one."

"You do?"

"Operation Free the Swan."

"Ooh, that's good."

"Speaking of Henry, I should get home, he may be wondering where I am." Regina got off of the seat.

Snow nodded. "Alright. Regina?"

"Yeah?"

"I'll send him on that goose chase first thing in the morning. We'll figure this out."

Regina nodded. "Thank you."

For what seemed like one of several times that day, Regina let her magic envelop her and carry her back home. She landed in the hallway next to Henry's room.

Henry's door opened and his head peeked out, looking from side to side. His face lit up when he spotted Regina. He flew through the doorway and tackled her with a hug. "You actually got it! You're the best." He pressed a lingering kiss to her cheek.

Regina gladly accepted the hug. She'd nearly forgotten about the comic book she'd simply left on his bed for him to find, with a sticky note she'd drawn a heart and smiley face on. "Well." She swallowed thickly. "No matter how old you get, you'll always be my baby boy and I love you."

"Uhhh… Okay?" Henry pulled back to look at her. "What's wrong, Mom?"

Regina shook her head. "I'm just… I'm thinking about Emma."

Henry's face darkened. "I hate him. He's ruining everything!"

Regina kissed his forehead. "We're going to fix that, my little prince. Us and the Charmings."

"We are?" Henry asked, confused.

Regina nodded. "We're going to need your help figuring out how, so don't stay up all night reading that comic book. Get a good night's rest so you can come up with some good ideas."

"Okay." Henry hugged her again. "Good night, Mom. I love you, too."

Henry returned to his room, so Regina did the same. She changed into her sleepwear, brushed her teeth and washed her face. She sat on her bed, thinking back to the abruptly shortened phone call with Emma and the five missed calls before it. It was hard to decide whether to take Emma's word about it seeming stupid after the fact, or to believe it had been more serious and she just hadn't wanted to get caught.

Regina blinked back tears, feeling that she should have noticed whatever was going on much earlier than she had. But she had been too caught up in her Robin Hood drama, then too wrapped up in Maleficent to notice much of what was going on in Emma's life. Hell, for a while she had been avoiding and distancing herself from her at all costs.

She grabbed her phone, too worried to sleep. She texted Emma:

Are you still awake?

Emma: Yeah.

Regina breathed in sharply, then let it out slowly.

Regina: Are you okay?

Emma: I am. :)

Regina: You didn't get to tell me why you called so many times.

Regina waited. And waited. And waited. Finally:

Emma: Sorry. I've got the worst case of pregnancy brain ever.

Regina sighed. What a convenient excuse.

Regina: Well, I'm still here for you. Family lunch with Henry tomorrow?

Emma: Only if you're making lasagna ;)

Regina: Always. Good night.

Emma: Sleep well.

Regina put the phone on the nightstand, content enough to get through the night with a plan in place to actually see the woman the following day. Words on a screen were nowhere near enough to ease her worry, but it was far better than not getting any response at all would have been.

Hugging her pillow as she tried to fall asleep, Regina wished she wasn't alone. Her mind wandered back to the morning, to the prolonged hug shared with Archie. If she pretended hard enough, part of the pillow was like his shoulder, and the blankets were like his arms wrapped around her. Her mind played out a scenario for her of what it would be like to finally kiss him, something it was aware she was very much wanting. Even imagination Archie gave her butterflies.

* * *

Regina woke to her phone ringing at 6:30 AM. She groaned, but seeing that it was Snow, figured answering on the first try would be the best idea. "I don't think the sun is even up yet," was her answer of choice.

"I said I'd send Hook away first thing, didn't I?"

Regina sat up. "I didn't think you would be quite so literal. Does that mean he's gone?"

"Yes, for now. He tried taking Emma with him, but I was able to convince him Emma was needed more here. She was pretty cranky at being woken up so early, but at least she's home."

Regina sighed in relief. There was a part of her that had been worried sending Hook away would mean Emma would leave too, and was grateful that turned out not to be the case. "Thank you. Can I go back to sleep now?"

"I suppose."

Regina gladly hung up and cuddled back up to her pillow, her mind very much at ease at the thought of Emma being very, very far away from Hook. Once she fell back asleep, she dreamt about sirens drowning him, the corners of her mouth quirking into a smile.

* * *

Regina woke for real at 9:00. She mentally went through the steps of preparing her lasagna in her head while she showered and dressed. She really should have given herself more than four hours to prepare, but the early phone call made her ignore her 7:45 alarm in favor of sleep. By the time she got downstairs, she found Henry had been awake and dressed before her, for a change.

"Have you eaten breakfast already?"

"Yep!"

"Well, I hope it wasn't too filling. We're having lasagna for lunch."

That earned her all of Henry's attention. He looked up at her from the couch excitedly. "Does that mean Emma's coming over?"

Regina smiled at his excitement. "Yes, it does. Would you like to help me prepare it?"

Henry bounced up onto his feet. "Sure!" He darted into the kitchen.

Regina followed. "Hook isn't in Storybrooke at the moment," she announced almost casually.

Henry turned from the fridge, brick of cheese in hand. "What?"

"Snow and I had a talk. She decided to send him on a wild goose chase. While he's away, us and your grandparents are going to hold an intervention at Granny's. We need a reason to get her there, though, without being too obvious. Something that will feel urgent. Snow and I didn't come up with very decent ideas, though I'll say mine made a lot more sense than hers."

Henry placed the brick of cheese on a counter and closed the fridge, leaning against it. "I thought interventions were for like drugs and alcohol and stuff."

"Not this one. This one is more about getting out of a bad relationship, and yes, I know about the baby."

Henry's jaw dropped. "You do? How?"

"It's a bit of a long story, but the short answer is she told me. I don't think your grandparents know about it yet, though, and it's not our place to tell them. So we can't mention it during the intervention."

"Hm." Henry turned to open the fridge again, grabbing a different type of cheese.

"I take it we're doing cheese lasagna this time?" Regina asked.

"Uh-huh." Henry closed the fridge again. "You know what's sad? You could probably get her to Granny's just by telling her Hook's there with a surprise for her. Her lie detecting thing is totally broken on him."

"Really? That easy?"

"Yeah." Henry shrugged. "Like I said. Sad."

"Well, it will definitely be a Hook-related surprise, that's for sure." Regina began hunting through drawers and cupboards for the dishware she needed, as well as other ingredients. After a moment, she asked, "Henry?"

"Yeah?"

"You've been alone with them. Does she ever seem happy to you?"

"Honestly… Not as much as when she's here with us."

* * *

At noon sharp, Regina was answering the door. "Look who's right on time," she greeted with a smile.

"What can I say? I'm hungry."

"Well, let's get that taken care of, then." Regina held the door open wider with a sweeping gesture of her arm, inviting her in. She noticed her starting to take her jacket off and stopped her with a hand on her arm. "It's fine, leave it."

Emma looked at her, pulling a face. "Oookay?" After being scolded in the past about her jackets not being appropriate attire for sitting at the table for a meal, it was confusing to suddenly be allowed.

As they reached the kitchen, they discovered that Henry, who had been in charge of setting the table, had arranged it in such a way that would force them to sit next to each other, as he had taken the single seat opposite the pair.

"Kid, you took my spot!" Emma ruffled his hair affectionately.

Henry grinned up at her. "Sorry, Ma, I got here first."

Regina put her hands on her hips with a dramatic sniff. "You two are acting like sitting next to me is the worst fate ever."

Emma frowned. "Come on, Regina, we didn't mean it like that."

Regina put on a petulant point. "Let's just see if I decide to make you two lasagna ever again."

Henry reached out to touch Emma's hand. "Ma, she's just teasing."

Emma looked at him questioningly, then when she looked at Regina again, it was to see a smile that proved Henry's words. She rolled her eyes. "Ha ha, you got me." She picked a seat to sit at, too hungry to wait to be served, so she served herself a generous helping.

"Well, make yourself right at home." For some reason, Regina found herself smiling warmly at the statement. She sat down next to her, serving Henry before herself. She didn't say a word about how quickly or classless Emma was consuming her helping.

By the time Regina finished her first piece, Emma was half into her second.

"Ma, you've got some cheese on your chin," Henry pointed out.

Emma childishly tried to get it off with her tongue.

"Nope, still there." Henry chuckled.

Regina watched Emma continue to struggle attempting to get it with her tongue for a while. "That's not working very well for you. Here." She picked up a napkin and wiped the cheese from her face. "Did you get sauce on your face as well?" She wiped at a red spot she hadn't seen before, but instead of going away, it only got bigger, and Emma flinched. Regina frowned. She stood up. "Emma, would you come with me for a moment?"

Emma hesitantly stood as well.

Regina grabbed her wrist and dragged her into the kitchen, as gentle as the urgency she felt would allow. She stopped at the sink, but didn't let go of Emma's wrist. "Is that cover up?"

Emma dipped her head down. "Yes."

"Why do you need cover up Emma? That's neither sauce nor a zit I just found."

Emma bit her lip and shook her head.

"Can I see the rest of it?"

Emma gave her the slightest of nods.

Regina took a paper towel and wet it slightly under the sink before placing it on Emma's face, following the red dot, which soon became a line. It went from just above the corner of her upper lip to just beneath the corner of her eye. "Emma..." As she whispered her name, she was nearly certain she felt her heart breaking. "Is this why you were calling me?"

Emma shook her head. "This was after." With trembling hands, she lifted her shirt to reveal a similar line across her stomach.

Regina clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes watering. She couldn't believe what was going on right under her nose.

Emma dropped her shirt to cover it again.

After a moment, Regina took both of Emma's hands in her own, looking into her eyes. "Why do you stay?"

"I've had worse, and it's not usually like this. He gets mad sometimes, but he loves me. It's just… the baby… He really doesn't want it."

Regina squeezed her hands. "I'm no expert at love, but that's not it, Emma."

"He keeps my father alive. He saved his life." Emma slipped her hands away from Regina's. "He's going to Neverland to get him what he needs to stay alive right now. Why would he do that if he didn't love me?"

Regina sighed. Emma was too deep in her denial. That intervention was definitely needed. "Do you want me to cover it back up for you?"

"Please."

Regina gently touched her face. She just wanted to heal her so badly, but she got the feeling if she did that, later there may be even worse marks when Hook returned. So, she just did what she said she would do, returning it to the state it had been before the cheese got in the way. "There. Be careful with the rest of your meal."


	7. Chapter 7

Wednesday, July 22, 2015 Regina found herself doing something she'd been trying to avoid. It was 1:00 PM, and she'd bought out two hours of Dr. Hopper's time. She sat on the couch, legs crossed, biting her inner cheek while the man sat at his desk.

"Was there anything you wanted to talk about? It's been half an hour now and you haven't said a word." Archie was mildly concerned.

"How do you stage an intervention?" Regina asked.

"An intervention? Erm. Those can be difficult to pull off."

"Alright, how does one stage an intervention successfully, then?"

"Well, the intervention should be done when the person it's for is sober, or at least lucid -"

"Not that kind of intervention. I asked you before what to do when you know your friend is in a bad relationship, but let's escalate that phrasing to abusive."

"I don't think you're going to like my answer. It's still their relationship, good or bad. It's difficult to help people who don't want to be helped, and even people who do want the help will slip. There is no way to guarantee the result of an intervention will be what you want it to be. All you can do is present the person with options and choices, not ultimatums, and let them make their own decision from there. If the people involved in the intervention matter to the person and their opinions are valued by them, that's the best chance for it to go your way."

"You're right, I didn't like that answer." Regina sighed. "You're right, too, of course. I just… I guess I thought if I grasped at the right straws I'd find an easy solution."

"Ah. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite work that way." Archie cleaned his glasses, then put them back on. "Was there anything else?"

Regina sighed. "Take your shrinking hat off, but go ahead and keep the money, as I intend to use the rest of the time."

"That's both generous and curious," Archie stated, rising from his chair.

Regina stretched her arms a bit. "I need my nerdy friend now, not the nerdy town shrink."

Archie sat down on the couch. "'Nerdy friend'?"

"That's you." Regina sent him her winning smile.

"Oh, I see."

"You're also my gives really good hugs friend. I'm going to need one of those again soon." Regina uncrossed her legs, only to cross them the opposite way. She sighed, tilting her head against the couch so her temple rested against it while she faced him. "I feel safe with you, though it occurs to me I still don't know that much about you."

"Well… My parents were thieves, and I was thankfully an only child. We traveled around, and my job was to pickpocket the audience while they put on a puppet show, which wasn't free. I hated it. Even as a man, I had to keep up the same routine. One day I decided to see Rumplestiltskin, and he gave me something that was supposed to solve all my problems forever. Although they were getting old, my parents were still pretty slick, and my father's sleight of hand made it all go wrong. What was intended for them was given to young parents, and it was too late by the time I realized it. I hadn't known what was going to become of my parents with Rumple's gift. The parents were turned into puppets. Their son was someone I'd had a brief encounter with who was kind enough to give me his umbrella. He came home to see his parents like that, and me there… I felt awful. I just wanted it all to be taken back, but what was done was done. The Blue Fairy did, however, give me a chance to do right by turning me into a cricket to help guide the boy who was orphaned at my fault. That boy was Geppetto, by the way, or Marco. I tried to make the rest of his life as smooth as possible, serving as a conscience of some sort."

"Woah." Regina blinked a couple of times. "You're older than Marco?"

"That's not all you got from that."

Regina laughed. "No, it's not. It just makes sense, you're an old soul. I also hadn't known peasant parents were so controlling. I mostly thought that came with nobility and royalty."

"No, they come in every class, unfortunately."

"I know considerably more now than I did a few minutes ago. It hasn't changed anything, I still feel safe with you."

"I'm glad. I wouldn't want you – or anyone – to feel unsafe around me."

"How about you? Do you feel safe with me?"

"I do. Moreso now than before the curse broke. You've changed considerably."

"I feel like I need to be honest, here. I did kill Graham," Regina admitted.

"Yeah, I'd figured that out. I just wasn't going to say anything."

"Why not?" Regina asked curiously.

"It may have only been a handful of years, but it may as well have been a lifetime ago."

Regina's eyes widened. "Oh my god, my mother tried to kill you! While looking like me. I'm so sorry about that."

"Ancient history, and it wasn't your fault."

"Talk about sliding backwards. That was one of my worst stumbles while trying to better myself." Regina shook her head. "I was such a fool."

"You got back up and kept pushing forward. The fact you can reflect on it now speaks volumes." Archie reached for her hand and gave it a compassionate squeeze.

Regina smiled, enjoying the feeling of his warm hand wrapped around hers. Damn warm and fuzzy butterflies were back, too. She wondered if she should tell him about those yet, or if that would ruin whatever was budding between them. "Thank you," she whispered.

"How did Henry like the comic book?" Archie changed the subject, but didn't release her hand.

Regina blushed. "He was really happy to get it. I don't know how you guys keep up with any of it though."

"You tried to read it?"

"I did read it. I eventually made it all the way through. Never again."

"You can't just start in the middle and expect everything to make sense. Sometimes TV shows and movies work like that, but not comic books. You just need to start at the beginning, if you ever feel like trying again. It will make a lot more sense that way."

"I'd rather just stick to television and movies. Even that's confusing enough to keep up with. Star Wars marathons with Henry, I've learned to just let him take over the remote and switching DVDs."

"You watch Star Wars marathons with Henry?" Archie asked, both amused and impressed.

"Of course! He's my boy. I put up with worse entertainment for him when he was a toddler. At least Star Wars is a step up from Teletubbies reruns. Those creepy little things still give me the occasional nightmare." Regina shuddered.

Archie smiled. "You just light up when you talk about Henry."

Regina felt herself blushing again. "Well, he's everything. Nothing would be worth doing without him."

"He's a lucky boy. Any child would be lucky to be loved by a parent as much as you love Henry."

Regina felt tears sting in her eyes, as for some reason his words sent her thoughts right to Emma's pregnancy and how much it was unwanted by Hook.

"What's wrong?" Archie asked softly.

"I'm going to be needing one of those hugs right about now," Regina managed to get out.

"Alright." Archie moved closer and wrapped his arms around her.

Regina flung her arms around him and nearly launched herself into his lap, burying her face in his shoulder.

Archie quickly got over the surprise and readjusted. He frowned when he felt the woman begin to tremble in his arms. He felt a deep pull within him that told him he didn't like Regina being upset at all. He wanted to make it better, but didn't know what to do beyond what she'd already mentioned, so he just held her close.

Regina felt so helpless, and mad at herself for falling apart. She was so grateful for that embrace, though. She didn't ever want to be released from his safe arms. It made her feel guilty, somehow, though, that she had the luxury of being in such a safe embrace while Emma was trapped in arms lined with thorns. Emma deserved safe arms to hold her, as did the life currently growing inside her.

Several minutes passed before Regina felt like she could lift her head with dignity, and when she did, she was met with concerned, kind eyes. "Thank you," she whispered wetly.

"You're welcome," Archie murmured back. "You don't have to keep buying my time if you need to talk. Many of my appointments can be rescheduled if need be."

Regina shook her head. "I can't ask you to do that."

"You don't have to ask. Just consider me available any time you need or want to talk."

Regina swallowed. "If you say so."

There was a knock at the office door.

"Well, looks like you're about to be busy again." Regina couldn't resist pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I'll see you around." She moved out of his arms and ended up poofing herself to the Charmings'

Snow jumped with a shriek when Regina materialized in front of her. "Can't you call before you do that?!"

Regina cleared her throat and hoped her eyes weren't too puffy. "We're doing this intervention tomorrow. 4:00."

"Er – Okay then. You could have also called to say that."

"Maybe." Regina shrugged. "Is Emma around?"

"I think she and David are both at the station," Snow answered.

"Alright. Could I hold Neal for a while, then?"

"Having another bout of baby fever, Regina?" Snow lightly teased.

"Yeah, something like that."

"Alright, just don't be mad if he spits up on you."

"Sure." Regina wandered to find a place to sit.

Moments later, Snow was placing Neal in Regina's arms. He fussed at first, but soon settled.

"Hello, there, little one," Regina cooed. There was still such innocence in those eyes, his entire face, really. No worries for him yet except feeding time and diaper changes. She gently tickled his cheek, thinking back to when Henry used to be that tiny.

Snow watched the pair with a tilted head before sitting down herself, across from them to give Regina space. "Planning on staying a while?" she asked after a moment.

"Not very long."

"Long enough for me to take a nap?"

"Oh, go ahead. We'll be fine."

"Thanks." Snow closed her eyes right there in the chair she was sitting in, knowing there wouldn't be much point in moving to the bed.

Before Regina knew it, fifteen minutes had gone by, and Neal started fussing for something she was sure she couldn't help him with. She looked at Snow, who appeared to wake right away at the sound of Neal's cries.

"I think he's hungry." Regina stood up and gently returned him. "I should be going. Don't forget, Granny's at 4:00 tomorrow."

"Alright, I've got it. We'll be there."

Regina nodded, then decided to head out on foot. She could use a walk to at least attempt to clear her head. However, she had gone no more than five feet past the door when she nearly walked into Emma. "Hey."

"Hi?" Emma looked around Regina questioningly. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just leaving."

"Looking for me?"

Regina shrugged. "I feel like I'm going to get in trouble whichever way I answer that."

Emma scoffed. "That's new. Since when do you care about getting in trouble?"

Regina's shoulders hitched up to her ears. "I don't know." She bit her tongue before she could say something she might regret.

Emma glanced around before placing her hands on Regina's shoulders. She let her magic carry them to the pier.

"What are you doing?" Regina breathed.

Emma swept an arm in a gesture towards the empty dock. "He's still not back."

"Okay?" Regina's eyebrows drew together.

Emma gently pushed her to sit down on the bench, then sat down next to her. "I know I'm not myself lately. This pregnancy and… everything else." She shook her head. "It's like… I think more clearly when he hasn't been around in a while, but when he's here my brain just shuts off. He'll scare me and I'll wake up, but everything's easier when I'm just numb."

"Easier for who?" Regina asked. "Certainly can't be you. Hiding marks like that every day can't be easy. Being pregnant in a hostile environment can't be easy."

"I'm a runner, Regina. I run from my problems."

Regina scoffed. "Oh, I'm aware of that by now." She rubbed at her temple, side-eying her. "You are going to drive me insane, you know that?"

"How?"

"Because I'm worrying about you all the time." Regina looked at her earnestly. "And then constantly being shown that I'm right to be worried."

"You really care that much?" Emma whispered.

"Of course."

Emma studied her features for a moment before surging forward, pressing her lips onto hers.

Regina jerked away with wide eyes. She shook her head, which knocked some fresh tears loose. "That's not how it works, Emma. You can't do that just because he's gone right now. You're still together."

"I – You said you were here for me however I need you."

"Not as your placeholder. Not like that. I care about you, but I care about myself, too. I won't be someone's extra curricular activity again. Try again when you're single, and we'll see what happens then." Regina grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm sorry," Emma choked out. She felt like such a mess.

"Ssh. We're okay. I'm not mad at you." Regina's free hand gently brushed across her cheek. "Do you understand why that was just horrid timing?"

Emma nodded.

"Alright, then."

"I would have done it after we stopped the trigger together, but Henry'd been kidnapped," Emma muttered.

Regina swallowed. "None of that, either. Not until you're actually available."

Emma nodded. "I guess I should go, then."

"Emma..."

But Emma was already slipping her hand out of Regina's, then disappeared in a haze of white smoke.

Regina's arms wrapped around her mid-section as she closed her eyes. "Shit," she whispered brokenly. She touched her fingers to her lips, in disbelief of and not quite understanding what had just happened there. Did Emma want to be with her, or was she just craving affection that didn't come from the damned pirate?

She stood up from the bench and started walking, not trusting where her magic would take her if she attempted to use it right then. Five minutes of walking later, she spotted a familiar face. "Tink!" she called.

The fairy stopped. "Regina?"

Regina quickened her pace to reach her faster. "You've got some serious explaining to do."

"Is this about the pixie dust again? If so, I already told you in Neverland, it lead you to who you were meant to be with at that time. You chose not to go to him then, which forever altered both of your paths."

"That's assuming people are only meant to be with one person."

"Okay, so now you think it left someone out?"

Regina shrugged. "I don't know, maybe. Though we can drop the whole your wings got clipped 'cause you stole the pixie dust charade. I think you know damn well it was something else entirely that caused your fall from grace."

"Why are you bringing this up now?" Tinkerbell hissed. She looked around to see if anyone might be overhearing.

"Because I am pissed off. While I was chasing some pixie dust chosen mate from the past at your encouragement, my friend was getting sucked deeper and deeper into what has become a very unhealthy relationship, and I now have reason to suspect that wouldn't be the case if I had just been available in the present."

Tinkerbell shrugged. "So you made a bad judgment call yet again. Is that somehow my fault? What do you want me to do about it?"

Regina stood up straighter. "Actually… Do you still know your way around Neverland pretty well?"

"Yes. Why?"

Regina smiled. "I've got a job for you. If you'd accompany a mermaid to Neverland and snag a hook from a certain pirate… I'll help you get your wings back."

Tinkerbell took in a deep breath. "Okay."


	8. Chapter 8

Thursday, July 23, 2015 at 4:00 Granny's had nearly been cleared out. There were a few extra people allowed, but it still served to create a pretty private atmosphere. Regina sat next to Snow, who had Neal bundled up in her arms, and on the opposite side of the booth, Henry sat next to David. There was a chair waiting next to the booth, between Regina and Henry.

At 4:02, Emma strode through the doors of the diner, looking around. She spotted her family, minus one person, and made her way over to them. She took the seat. "Alright, where is he?"

"Emma, he's not coming," David told his daughter.

"What?"

Henry grabbed Emma's hand before she could do something like try to leave. "Please don't be mad, Ma. We just want to talk to you."

Emma melted at Henry's puppy dog eyes. It was so unfair that they still worked even now that he was a teenager. She sighed. "Okay."

"Emma, I don't need Hook's help anymore," David told her. "He's not the only one who can get what I need like we'd thought. Not anymore."

"I know this might not make sense," Snow spoke up. "Considering how I encouraged your being together, but I've seen changes that I don't like. I haven't really said anything until now, because… Well, I was being selfish. I didn't want to risk losing your father, although that is now a non-issue. I put my happiness before yours, again. Killian no longer has my blessing, and hasn't for quite a while."

Emma looked at her father again questioningly.

"We're a united front in this, kiddo," David told her. "The gratefulness I felt before is now gone."

"Well… If you don't need him anymore, why did you send him away?" Emma asked.

"So we could talk to you, Ma," Henry answered. He squeezed her hand. "Without him around. You know I've never liked him, but now it's even worse. He's worse. He hasn't changed much at all, not like Mom has. In fact, I remember something about him helping electrocute her."

"Henry, that's enough," Regina felt the need to step in. "Emma," she said her name in a gentle tone. "None of us like what we've been seeing lately, and I know I've seen more than most. I think I've already made my personal feelings pretty clear, but we're here to make sure you know you have more than one choice moving forward. We all love you. And we're going to support whatever decisions you make. Just make sure you're the one making them. Your… future depends on it."

Emma looked around at each of their concerned faces, inhaling deeply. "Oh, now I get a choice?" she asked brokenly. "I didn't want to be the stupid Savior, yet you all forced me to do that. Where was my choice, then? No one asked me how I would feel about being an adult sister, either. I certainly wasn't asked how I would feel about my baby brother being named after my ex. Oh, but now, you all don't like the person I'm with and I get a 'choice'? Really?"

"Ma, I just want to see you be happy," Henry told her. "I don't think Hook makes you happy anymore, but if I'm wrong I'll just shut up and love you anyway. I don't care who you're with. I don't have to like them, only you do."

"That's what we're all trying to say here, Emma," Regina told her.

Emma squeezed her eyes shut, body beginning to quake with pent up sobs. She knew she wasn't happy anymore. How could she be happy with a man who cut her face just for talking on the phone? Who'd tried to make her lose her baby? But there was a certain safety in sticking with the Devil you know, rather than venturing into the unknown. "I know," she choked out.

Regina's eyes went up to the ceiling, unable to watch. A tear snuck out as it took all her willpower to keep her hands to herself.

Henry got up and wrapped his arms around Emma tightly, not wanting to see her cry, and was glad to feel her hugging him back. "It's okay, Ma," he whispered.

Snow was looking down at Neal with silent tears streaming down her face, hurt by Emma's words. Moreso, though, it hurt knowing she'd hurt her daughter that much. She'd had no idea.

David looked around the table, feeling very uncomfortable nearly pinned in the corner while every woman at the table was in some stage of tears. "I… have to pee," he announced awkwardly. He slipped away from the table and retreated into the bathroom, letting out a heavy sigh and shaking his head when he was inside. He stalked the room for a moment before punching the wall above a urinal, pretending it was Hook's face. "Hurt my daughter again, and I'll find a way to kill you, you bastard," he muttered with conviction while massaging the knuckles that might sport bruises.

Finally, Henry and Emma let go of each other, and he sat back down.

"Regina?" Emma asked in a small voice.

Regina turned her head to look at her. "Yes?"

"Will you help me? I need time to think, but if… If I decide to end it, I should probably do it before he comes back."

Regina didn't like the way 'it' could mean more than one thing. She naturally assumed she meant the one she didn't want it to mean. 'Baby?' she mouthed.

Emma shook her head. 'Hook' she mouthed.

Regina closed her eyes, feeling more relief than she should have allowed herself based on a mere 'if'. She opened them again after a moment. "Yes. We can reach out through a mirror to contact him, if that is what you decide."

Emma nodded to herself. "Okay," she whispered. She looked into Regina's eyes, hoping to find the strength and motivation she needed in them.

* * *

It was 7:00 PM and Regina was giving Emma her thinking space. Everyone had made their collective effort for what they could do without making demands, so now all there was to do was wait. Wait and hope Emma made the right decision, because there was a right one, no matter how diplomatic about the situation they were trying to be.

Naturally, she found herself walking into Archie's office. "Why are you always right?"

Archie looked up from his desk and chuckled. "I'm not always right."

"Well, it sure seems like it. I don't think I ever want to be part of an intervention again. Far too emotional."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm managing," Regina answered. "Trying to be patient. I could use a distraction, though."

"What kind of distraction?" Archie asked.

Regina shrugged. "Pongo need a walk?"

The dog in question perked up then sat himself next to the door, tail wagging.

Archie chuckled. "That's a not a word that gets said without follow through." He rose onto his feet and pulled his jacket off the coat rack in the corner, as well as the leash. He clipped it onto Pongo's collar after he put his jacket on. "Would you like the honors?" he offered Regina the other end of the leash.

Regina bit her lower lip for a moment. "Sure." She took the leash. That would certainly be a distraction.

"Alright, then." Archie flipped the sign to 'Closed', then locked up once they were outside the office. He chuckled when he noticed Regina looked totally clueless. "Alright, let's get you holding that properly." He took the leash just long enough to slip the loop over her thumb. "Now fold the leash a couple times and hold it within your hand. Your arm should be able to relax normally if you've established a comfortable length."

Regina nodded and did what he said. "I think I've got it."

"How far were you wanting to go? For a short trip, I usually just go around the block, for a longer one we'll go up and down Main Street."

"Main Street sounds alright to me."

The pair began walking, Pongo at Regina's right, slightly ahead of her but keeping a reasonable pace. Archie stayed at Regina's left. A cool breeze blew Regina's hair every which way. She shook her head to get it out of her eyes, but otherwise didn't much care about the appearance right then.

They walked several feet in a companionable silence. Then Pongo spotted a squirrel and barked at it. The squirrel darted off, having started at the right side in front of Regina, then ending up behind the left side of Archie.

"Oh dear." Archie had enough foresight to realize what was seconds away from happening, but not enough time to stop it.

Pongo chased after the squirrel, which only served to make the squirrel run back to where it had originally been, then a couple more circles. As Pongo chased it, the leash looped around Archie's and Regina's legs, the force of the leash pulling Regina to face the side right next to Archie. Their legs were bound together and by the time there was no more pulling room left for Pongo, Regina was trapped flush against Archie. The noise that escaped her was a mix between a cry of surprise and a laugh.

"Sorry about that," Archie apologized.

After Regina was over the surprise, all she could do was laugh. "Did he just 101 Dalmatians us? That is so cliché." She shook her head as more laughter bubbled out of her.

Archie couldn't be too mad at Pongo when his actions resulted in laughter like that. He had to smile. This was so much better than seeing her upset.

Regina was laughing so hard it was getting hard to see and her vision was blurry. It had been so long since anything had made her laugh so hard. If she recalled, the last time had been just after the curse of Shattered Sight had been broken.

Pongo strained against the leash although it could not go any further. Archie could feel himself losing his footing and starting to pitch forward, so he instinctively wrapped his arms around Regina and used the momentum to turn just enough that he would be the one to break the inevitable fall. Regina was laughing all the way down until the landing, nearly having the wind knocked out of her.

Regina caught her breath and looked up at Archie. "Are you alright?" she asked while fixing his glasses that had gone crooked.

"I'm fine. How about you?" Archie asked. He brushed away a few strands of hair that had fallen in her face.

"I'm good, for now. I think my thumb might be in danger of dislocating if we don't get untangled soon, though." Regina answered.

Archie gently ran a hand along her arm until he found her wrist. He felt the material of the leash for tightness, and was able to move the loop off of her thumb easily enough. "No dislocation allowed on my watch."

Regina giggled, blushing, and rested her head against his chest. She didn't care about the loss of circulation in her legs that was bound to happen eventually, nor any stains or damage to her clothing. "My hero," she stage-whispered.

"Huh. I can see the sun setting from here," Archie observed.

Regina looked up, following his gaze. "Ooh, that's pretty." She watched for a while, then lifted her head to look at him. She was going to take this sign from the universe and run with it. "I like you, Archie."

"I like you, too."

"I mean the kind that comes with butterflies," Regina attempted to clarify.

"I give you butterflies?" Archie wondered how the heck he'd managed to do that. "Me, the town shrink, gives Madame Mayor Regina Mills butterflies?"

"Yes, and it is rather annoying, but there it is. Do you think I'd stay tangled up in a dog leash this long for anybody else?"

Archie chuckled. "I did wonder why you didn't just use your magic to get yourself out," he admitted.

"See? I didn't even think about that."

"You were probably too busy laughing," Archie pointed out.

"Mm, I haven't laughed so hard in what seems like forever. It was definitely needed." Regina sighed. "I am beginning to be aware of the fact I'm no longer feeling my legs, though, so maybe it is time for just a bit of magic." She sent magic out towards the leash, making it uncoil from their legs. She grabbed the loop again so Pongo wouldn't wander off. She carefully pushed herself up in an attempt to stand, but her feet were still useless so she fell right back down again.

Archie had sat up, but didn't attempt to stand up just yet. Which was good, as he was able to catch her. "Having a bit of trouble?" he teased.

Regina got comfortable in his lap. "You may just have to end up carrying me."

"You might have better balance if you took your heels off," Archie suggested.

"Well, if you feel like carrying them separately..." She rested her head on his shoulder, wondering what she was doing. Even as the Queen she didn't just have people carrying her around. "I'm being silly. I'll probably be fine to walk as soon as you are."

"I'd carry you," Archie told her. "If that's what you wanted."

Regina looked up at him. "It will be getting dark soon. I'm not sure where I'd even have you take me."

"Well..." Archie paused, at a metaphorical crossroads, then chose his path. "You wanted a distraction. How about I take you on a date?"

Regina gasped. "You'd better not be messing with me. I swear - !"

"I'm not. I've come to look forward to your visits, and I've noticed when you're around, your mood affects my mood. I don't like seeing you upset, beyond basic human compassion. I find myself distracted from my work by thinking about you. Thanks to Pongo and that squirrel, I got to hear your laugh. It's only natural that the next logical step is a date. After all, I give you butterflies."

Regina grinned. "Finally." She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight. "I know it hasn't really been very long, but it feels like I've been waiting forever for this."

"Good things come to those who wait." Archie hugged her back.

"Indeed."

He released her after a moment. "Ready to try standing again?" He offered his hand.

Regina took his hand with the one that wasn't holding the leash. With his support, she managed to get onto her feet and stay there. Archie rose onto his feet as well. They looked at Pongo, only to find the dalmatian curled up and sleeping peacefully, innocently. Regina smirked. 'Good boy, Pongo,' she mouthed in the dog's direction. Archie whistled, which woke Pongo right up.

"Have you eaten tonight?" Archie asked.

"I have not," Regina answered. "I'm not in the mood for Granny's, though."

"Alright. How do your meals in work?"

"I don't feel like cooking anything tonight, either."

"You don't have to. I was just wondering if you might be more comfortable at home?"

Regina's eyebrows rose, biting her lower lip, yet also smiling at the thought. "As much as I would love a home-cooked meal in my own home without being the one to cook it, I'd rather not take the risk of Henry showing up at some point. That could be another time."

"My place, then," Archie concluded.

Regina nodded. "I would love to see it. I don't actually know where you live."

"Then I guess I'd better show you."

Regina moved the hand still in her own to wrap his arm around her lower back. She made sure she was holding Pongo's leash properly and leaned into him. "Lead the way."

Archie kept his arm where Regina placed it, giving her a light sideways squeeze as he began walking.

Regina as she kept pace with him, making sure Pongo walked along with them obediently. The butterflies were back. She let her imagination wander while she tried to picture what Archie's home looked like. She would be willing to bet it was better than the Charmings' loft. Pongo would need a yard, which logically implied a house.

She was enjoying walking so close to him too much to notice when they'd long passed the M streets and had reached the H streets. She only realized their destination had been reached when Archie opened a gate with his free hand. Regina was right, he certainly lived in a house with a yard. It appeared to be two stories tall and was green. The path leading to the porch was cobblestone. She almost made a comment about it being too big for someone to live in alone, then remembered how many years she had lived in her mansion alone before she'd adopted Henry.

"You can let him off the leash," Archie stated as he closed the gate behind them.

Regina bent to do so, then Pongo took off to where she could only assume the backyard was. "This looks nice."

"Ah, this is only the outside."

Regina wasn't sure what that meant. She supposed she would find out momentarily.


	9. Chapter 9

Regina was impressed with the interior of the home. The level of cleanliness was immaculate. It had the illusion of not being lived in very much at all, but Regina knew that was an illusion that took serious maintenance to pull off. "Wow."

"I have a no shoes inside the house rule, so I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to take off your heels."

Regina looked at him to see if he was joking, but noticed the man had already taken off his jacket, as well as his own shoes and left them by the door. She stepped out of her heels and left them next to his, pouting at how much shorter she was without them. "You're unfairly tall," she pointed out.

"It won't seem that way while we're sitting down, and I spent many years as a tiny little cricket to balance it out."

Regina giggled at the thought. "Alright, I suppose that is fair."

Archie lead the way into his kitchen, pulling out one of the chairs at a small table within it.

Regina felt those butterflies dance up and down the entirety of her spine. "How chivalrous." Regina took the offered seat, smiling as it was pushed in. She looked around the kitchen, finding the yellow wallpaper interesting in that it wasn't hideous. There was a clock on the wall that was dog shaped, and the seconds seemed to be tracked by way of a wagging tail. "Oh! I'd better tell Henry not to expect me home before he should be in bed." It occurred to her she had neither her purse nor her phone on her, so she summoned the phone into her hand.

She quickly opened a text to Henry: Don't wait up for me. I likely won't be home before you should be asleep.

Henry responded: K.

Regina scoffed and rolled her eyes. "One letter? He won't even miss me." She put the phone in her lap, wanting it on her but not in the way.

"Sure he will. He just doesn't want you to know it. Would you like some water, or any other beverage?" Archie offered, folding back his sleeves.

Regina looked up at him. "Why wouldn't he want me to know?" she asked.

"Because he knows if he admitted missing you, you would come straight home," Archie answered simply.

Regina opened her mouth to protest, but realized he was probably right, as per usual. So, what came out instead was, "Yes, I'll take some water, please. With ice, if possible."

"Ice water, coming up." Archie fetched a glass from one of the cupboards, took an ice tray from the freezer and put three of the cubes into the glass, returned the ice tray, then poured filtered water from the fridge into the glass. He placed it on the table in front of Regina.

"Thank you." Regina wrapped her hand around the glass, just wanting to feel its coolness.

"You're welcome. Would you like me to put on some music? What I'm planning on making will take some time. I don't want you to end up too bored while waiting."

"Oh. Hmm," Regina thought, not having expected that. "I don't suppose you have any Ricky Martin albums laying around anywhere?"

"You could have supposed." Archie smirked before disappearing to another room momentarily. When he returned, it was with a purple radio, which he placed on a counter near the table. He placed a CD in the top then pressed a button to skip a few tracks. Soon, Livin' La Vida Loca was coming through the speakers.

Regina clapped her hands together. "You do have it!" The exclamation had awe mixed into the cheer.

"Oh, I am just full of surprises." Archie flashed her a grin.

Regina could have sworn she'd melted. She quickly took a sip of her water, just for the distraction. He was really something else.

Content in the fact that his guest seemed to be enjoying herself, Archie washed his hands in the kitchen sink before beginning to prepare the food for their meal.

Several songs later, Archie placed a plate full of food down in front of Regina with a fork on the side. He grabbed a small stack of napkins and put them down as well, before bringing his own plate and fork to the table and sitting opposite her.

Regina gasped at the meal presented. She understood why it had taken as long as it had. There was grilled chicken, half of a baked potato so hot the butter was still rapidly melting, green beans, and corn. That was far more effort than she expected for an impromptu first date. She was touched that her expectations had been exceeded. "This looks amazing." She felt like her smile might split her face in two.

"I'm glad you approve so far." Archie knew the looks wouldn't amount to anything if the taste didn't match up.

Regina picked up the fork, using the side of it to cut into the chicken. Once she'd separated a small portion from the rest, she pierced it and brought it to her mouth. "Mm!" As soon as it had touched her tongue there was an explosion of flavor. It made it difficult for her to mind her manners. Once she had properly chewed and swallowed, she complimented, "This is really good!"

Archie was glad his efforts had paid off. "That's a relief." He started with a forkful of corn.

Regina worked on cutting another piece of chicken. "I might just enjoy this meal too much to be as much of a conversationalist as I would like to be."

"I don't mind. Your presence will still be enjoyed."

Regina smiled, blushing lightly. He was setting quite the standard. "Well, I don't want to be mute the whole time. What kind of date would that be?"

"I see your point." Archie went after some of the green beans. After a moment, he stated an idea, "We could volley questions and take turns answering them. But whatever we ask, we also have to answer ourselves."

Regina swallowed her current bite quickly. "Ooh, that's good. Clever."

"You can have the first question."

"Hmm. Alright." Regina took a sip of her water, wondering what she could ask that she would also feel comfortable answering herself. "Out of any pets you've had throughout the years, which is your favorite?"

Archie smiled. "Easy enough, Pongo's the only pet I've had. Favorite by default."

"Mine was my childhood steed, Rocinante. He was the best horse a girl could ask for." Regina resumed eating, waiting for Archie's question.

"What is a book you could re-read a thousand times over and never be bored with it?"

Regina didn't have to think very long to find her answer, "The Divine Comedy."

Archie's eyebrows raised. "Really?"

Regina nodded. "Really. I like how it's not strictly black and white. How about yours?"

"The Odyssey. It's such an intriguing adventure."

"Interesting movie, too," Regina commented. She moved on from the chicken to the baked potato as she tried to think of another question. It was a nice challenge, finding the balance between what she wanted to know and what she was willing to reveal. "Would it be worse to live in a world without books or without music."

"Without music."

"Definitely worse without music," Regina agreed. "Music is universal, especially instrumentals."

"If you could be instantly fluent in another language, which language would that be?"

Regina continued eating as she thought. "French. I'd like to visit Canada some day, and Maine borders the French-dominant section."

"Interesting. I think I'd choose Italian, if only to be able to read Leonardo Da Vinci's theories in their original language."

Regina smiled. "You're not just a comic book nerd, you're a history nerd."

"Coming from the woman who will never tire of The Divine Comedy. Somehow I get the feeling I'm not allowed to call you a nerd in return," Archie teased.

"Nope!" Regina chirped. "Not allowed."

Archie chuckled. "I thought as much."

"I lost track of whose turn it is to ask a question," Regina admitted.

"I believe it was yours, but I believe that little exercise has served its purpose."

"Oh?" Regina looked up at him from her plate.

"It broke the ice sufficiently enough to keep you talking without being too distracted by the meal."

Regina realized she had indeed gotten through half of her plate by that point. She must have relaxed enough to not worry about her manners and had been able to focus on the conversation. "You may not literally be magical, Archie, but you definitely have some kind of power. My nerves are completely gone. The butterflies have stuck around, but not the nerves."

"I'll be honest. You weren't the only nervous one," Archie admitted.

"You were nervous?"

"Of course. I don't date often, as I've mentioned before, and you're definitely not someone anyone would want to end up disappointing on a first date." Archie reached for a napkin, wanting to make sure he didn't have anything on his face.

"That's a high pedestal," Regina noted. "Why is that?"

Archie knew he needed to phrase his answer carefully. He reached a hand across the table, palm up. When Regina took it, he met her curious eyes. "Because you can easily have anyone you desire and from what I've observed, you're a strong woman who doesn't hand out second chances often. You're careful with your heart, and if a first date disappointed you, I have no doubt you would move on until you found someone who didn't disappoint you."

Regina breathed out shakily, squeezing his hand. How was he even real? "I am far from disappointed, here," she murmured. Her heart was beginning to pound in her ears. "Unless I suddenly wake up to find this has all been a dream. In that case, I would be extremely disappointed."

"You're not dreaming," Archie reassured.

"Good." Regina whispered. She looked back to her plate. "I would like to finish the rest of this delicious meal, though."

Archie released her hand. "By all means." He resumed eating, himself. He was elated the date was going so well, as he had taken a risk that was unusual for him in asking so soon. Her enthusiastic response had made it clear she'd been waiting for it, though.

After Regina had finished her meal, she was satisfyingly full. "That was great, thank you so much." She laid the fork down on the empty plate.

"You're welcome." Archie was happy to have provided her with a fulfilling meal.

"Really, beyond the food, Archie. You make me feel valued without me having to constantly validate my worth. You're always around when I need you, it seems. I'm not happy often, but I'm happy with you."

Archie had mixed feelings about what Regina had just said. "You're not used to being treated well, are you?" He could tell because he hadn't begun trying hard to be anything more than a friend prior to the date, and had been treading lightly as far as the date went, yet she seemed to already be thoroughly wooed.

Regina's lips pulled into a sad smile as she shook her head. "No, not really," she answered. "Things have definitely been getting better since the town no longer sees me as a threat, but… Sometimes I only matter because I matter. I have the magic that's needed, I have the power and influence as the Mayor, the former Evil Queen. I'm important, but it's never really about me as a person. You see me as the person, not the legend, so to speak, and you haven't judged me, although you know I've done just about the worst thing any person can do."

Archie hurriedly finished his plate then stood up. He held both hands out to Regina, who took them without hesitation, and stood as well. He moved them a couple steps away from the table, pulling her closer to him slowly enough that she could stop if she wanted to.

Regina swallowed, unsure what was about to happen, as she doubted she could reach a height even on tip toes that would allow her to kiss him. She knew she trusted him, though.

Archie released her hands so he could wrap his arms around her in a true embrace, one that was more amorous than friendly yet continued to respect boundaries.

Regina wrapped her arms around him in return, closing her eyes with an elated sigh. She was in absolute heaven. She felt him press a kiss to the top of her head and her butterflies exploded all throughout her body. She tightened her hold on him, feeling lucky.

"You do matter to me, Regina," Archie murmured. "So much that it's taken me by surprise."

Regina looked up at him. "I like that kind of surprise. It was such a rough day today, but tonight is the kind of night that I don't ever want to end. It's been ages since I've been on a proper date, as spontaneous as this one was."

Pongo chose to make his reappearance then, trotting into the kitchen, having come in through the doggy door in the back. Archie's gaze followed the familiar sound of paws, then his eyes widened when he saw the fact that he'd clearly been rolling around in mud. The dog shook himself, sending mud flying every which way.

Archie closed his eyes. "That did not just happen."

"It did, though." Regina found the dog's antics endearing, but she wasn't the owner. "Now there's mud along with the grass stains I'd already suspected."

"I'm sorry. I'm not sure what's gotten into him."

"Maybe he's jealous," Regina suggested teasingly. "I won't let it ruin my cloud nine moment, though."

"It's more the moment that comes after that I'm worried about," Archie retorted.

"Ah, but I won't be coming down for quite a while," Regina replied serenely. "Clothing can be washed, and if it makes you feel better, Pongo can be bathed. I'll help."

Archie laughed, surprised at the offer. "Just when I think I've figured you out..."

"Curveball?" Regina smirked. "My specialty. I did raise Henry from infancy, I assure you I have spent a fair amount of time covered in far worse things than mud."

"Henry's your son, though. Pongo's a dog."

"Your dog," Regina emphasized. "Which makes him pretty special."

Archie held her tighter for a moment before releasing her. "Alright, you volunteered." He shrugged off his jacket and draped it over a chair. Then he unbuttoned his shirt, taking that off as well, draping it atop the jacket. He swept the muddy dog up into his arms. "Bathroom with the bath is upstairs. This way."

Regina was stunned by the flash of skin she had not expected she would be seeing that night, though considering the circumstances it did make sense. No point for him to make his shirt even muddier. Still, it made heat race to her cheeks and caused her following steps to be shaky.

Archie placed Pongo in the tub and grabbed the detachable showerhead to hose the initial mud off once he'd tested the temperature of the water.

Regina soon stood in the doorway, careful not to lean against any walls. She just admired what could be seen of Archie's upper half for a moment before joining him, kneeling down.

"The dog shampoo is in that corner there." Archie nodded to the corner in front of Regina.

Regina reached for it then read the directions. She squeezed some into her hand. "Alright, where should I start?"

Archie turned the water off for the time being. "Back of his neck should be a good start."

Regina started on that area of focus, slowly moving to larger areas as she both felt and saw the suds appearing. Pongo was rather well behaved for the ordeal, though he let out an occasional whine. Regina paused when she heard the first one. "Did I hurt him?"

"No, he's fine. Though maybe a bit embarrassed." Archie scratched the top of his head. "You've only got yourself to blame, buddy."

So, Regina resumed, not reacting to the following whines since she knew she wasn't causing him pain. She enjoyed the new experience of working the shampoo into Pongo's soft, wet fur.

After a few more minutes than was truly necessary had passed, Archie stopped her with, "That's very thorough, Regina. I think he's clean now."

"Oh. Alright." Regina managed to stand up without issue and went to the sink to rinse her hands off. That's when she caught sight of her reflection for the first time since before the intervention. Her hair was tousled, there were a few flecks of mud on her face, and her clothing was more unkempt than she ever allowed it to be. But even with all that, there was a light in her eyes that had been missing from her reflection for a long time. She beamed.

* * *

At 11:30 PM, Archie and Regina stood outside on his porch, facing each other.

"Well, this was certainly a more eventful date than I was expecting," Archie stated with a chuckle.

Regina shook her head. "It was perfect. It's going to be hard to beat next time."

"Next time?" Archie asked with a smile.

"Yes, there will most certainly be a next time, Mister Archibald Hopper." Regina looped her arms around his neck, an advantage that came with being back in her heels. "It's not that easy to get rid of me."

"Well, I don't intend to take on the challenge of figuring out how hard that would be."

Regina smiled. "So, you've decided that we can fit together?"

Archie gently palmed her cheek, then tilted her chin up. "I have." He looked into her eyes before closing the distance, pressing his lips to hers.

Regina returned the kiss sweetly, savoring it. It was even better than she had imagined.


	10. Chapter 10

Regina was noticeably happy Friday, July 24 of 2015. She practically skipped to work, feeling like a teenager again. She caught herself doodling hearts in the corners of official documents she was trying to read. It was really gross and disgustingly cliché, but that was the beauty of it. The world seemed happier purely because she herself was happy.

That lasted a mere handful of hours, the bubble popping when Emma strode into her office and sat opposite her.

"Emma," Regina breathed, not knowing what to expect. It had been less than 24 hours since the intervention. Her stomach twisted up with guilt for being happy while Emma was suffering. She had to remind herself that she was allowed to be happy, no matter how invested she was in Emma's problems.

"I decided," Emma announced. "I know I have to end it with him. The sooner the better. I need to rip it off like a bandaid, or else I'll chicken out and he'll own me forever."

Regina swallowed. "As relieved as I am to hear that's your decision, I have to ask… How much of it has to do with what I said at the pier?"

Emma blushed. "Er, kinda a lot," she admitted sheepishly. "But to be fair, whenever I think about the baby, I start thinking about you, and when I think about you I think about Henry, and then the baby again."

Regina sighed. "I need to be honest with you."

"Okay..." Emma drawled nervously.

"I'm poly."

Emma blinked a couple times. "Since when?"

"It's new. I want to say probably after it was obvious Robin and I weren't going to work out," Regina answered.

"Oh. Well, that's okay."

"Is it? It was supposedly okay with Maleficent, but then she threw a fit when I mentioned getting back out and dating men."

"What a bitch."

A twitch of a smirk pulled at the corner of Regina's mouth. "Agreed."

Emma folded her arms across her chest. "So, who is he?"

"Emma..." Regina blushed furiously.

"Ooh, now I really want to know!" Emma leaned onto Regina's desk. "Tell me, tell me!"

Regina sighed and pushed the chair back from her desk, spinning in it once. "I'm dating Dr. Hopper. Well, only one date, but there will definitely be more."

"You're dating Archie?" Emma took a moment to process that. "I suppose that makes sense."

"He's really sweet..." Regina pulled herself back before she could fall too far into a dreamy state. "I just wanted you to know what you would be signing up for. If you're interested in me, I wouldn't be entirely yours, you would be sharing me. I know that's not for everyone, so I didn't want to end up blindsiding you. If you're not interested in me, we can just chalk that kiss up to your hormones or whatever reason you feel most comfortable with. I'll still be here for you either way, Emma, that won't change."

Emma nodded. "Alright, thank you for that." She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "I came here, though, because you said you could help contact him. I don't want to lose my nerve."

"Say no more." Regina stood up and walked around her desk to offer Emma her hand.

Emma took it, giving it a companionable squeeze before standing up.

Regina let her magic carry them to her vault, in front of her mirror.

Emma swallowed, squeezing Regina's hand harder. "I can do this," she whispered to herself. Then she looked at Regina. "Can you magically remove my cover up? I want him to face what he's done to me."

Regina mentally cheered for her. "Of course." She gently touched her cheek with her free hand, sending her magic out to unveil the wound.

Emma winced when she saw her reflection, the ugly truth glaring at her with Regina at her side.

Regina moved her hand to hover in front of the mirror. "Are you ready?"

Emma nodded. "Ready as I'm going to be."

Regina waved her hand in front of the mirror, keeping both the visuals and the sound one-way for the time being. "Hook," she called out as her magic searched for the pirate. She looked at Emma. "He won't hear or see us yet."

Emma nodded.

Regina's magic soon located the pirate, his face filling the mirror, but not seeing them. Emma's breath hitched in her throat and she swallowed nervously, eyes darting to Regina.

Regina sensed Emma's distress. "You've got this. He won't be able to hurt you, he won't be able to touch you. You're going to be alright."

Emma took a steadying breath and looked at the monster in the mirror once again. The man she still loved although she knew it was unhealthy. The man she would miss although he had mistreated her. Her free hand curled protectively around her belly. Regina said he wouldn't be able to hurt her, but Emma knew the break up was going to be painful, even if it were more like breaking free. She looked at Regina again. "Okay, I'm ready to be seen and heard. But I want it to be only me he sees, at least at first, if I can handle it."

"Of course, Emma." Regina gave her hand one more squeeze before releasing it and stepping out of the mirror's view. She had her magic open the visuals and sound both ways.

"Hook," Emma's voice came out both longing and angry.

Hook spotted her. "Emma?"

Emma's breath came out shakily. "Killian, I-I love you. I probably always will. But I can't be with someone who does something like this -" She pointed at her mouth to eye cut. "For any reason, but certainly not something as trivial as talking to someone on the phone. I can't be with someone who tries to cause a miscarriage because they know I want to keep the baby. I can't!"

"Emma, be rational. Your family needs me."

"Actually, Killian, they don't!" Emma snapped, tears beginning to fall. "They only sent you away to get you away from me. They have a new way to acquire what my father needs. You… You made me feel like I had to be grateful to you for saving his life in Neverland, that is the only reason why you got that first kiss. It was my mistake for allowing everything else that followed. Everything but this baby. I seem to be good at making babies with men who don't deserve to be fathers, but so far, those babies turn out to be pretty great people." Emma lifted her shirt. "Not only did you try to cause a miscarriage, you did this! Do you really hate the idea of being a parent that much? How could you have ever loved me if you could do something like this with your bloody damn hook?! How could you ignore me crying and begging you to stop?! Apologies don't fix everything. I am terrified at what a life without you in it means, but I know it will at least be better than a life with you. For me, and certainly for the baby! We are over, do you understand me? Done. I don't need you anymore. I never needed you at all. And now… I have so many people who love me, more than I know what to do with. But most importantly… I won't be alone without you." Emma looked over to Regina, holding a hand out.

Regina was watching her tear into him with pride, although she knew she was equally tearing herself apart with every word. She didn't hesitate to take Emma's hand and step into view, looking at her tenderly.

'Heal me,' Emma mouthed before turning her head to glare at Hook.

Regina gladly touched Emma's wounded cheek and healed it, a tear falling from her eye when it disappeared completely.

"Kiss me," Emma whispered.

Regina's eyes widened for a moment, surprised at the request. She had heard the urgency, though, so she cupped her cheeks and kissed her tenderly.

Emma threw her arms around Regina, kissing her more heavily before breaking away to face the mirror again. "Never come back to Storybrooke. NEVER!" She flipped him off.

Regina took a moment to get over the shock of receiving a much heavier kiss than she'd expected. She noticed Emma flipping him the bird and decided to join her, glaring at the pirate murderously. "I swear, if I ever see you in my town again, pirate, I will fucking kill you if it is the last thing I do."

Emma enjoyed seeing his shocked expression for a few seconds, but she whimpered when it changed to one of anger. "Okay, make him go away now," she squeaked.

Regina gladly let her magic drop the connection. Emma sank down to the floor, sobbing. Regina knelt down next to her. "You did it, Emma! I'm so proud of you."

"I-I did it," Emma repeated. "It feels awful. I'm still so scared."

Regina held her. "I know. It's going to be hard, Emma, but you'll get through this in time." She gently kissed her forehead. "Baby steps. One day at a time."

Emma curled in on herself. "I-I think I need to be alone for a little while."

Regina let go of her. "Alright, that sounds like a good plan," she murmured. "Be free, Emma. I'll let you come to me whenever you're ready. I won't look for you. Just know I'm here for you, whatever you need and whenever you need it."

Emma nodded. "Thank you," she whispered. Then the only sign of her was white wisps of smoke.

* * *

"Mom? What are you doing here?"

Regina ran to hug her son tight. "She did it, Henry! She left him!"

Henry hugged her back. "Ma left Hook?!" he asked ecstatically.

Regina nodded. "She did. But now she needs her space for a while, this adjustment won't be easy for her."

Henry nodded understandingly. "Okay. I'm just glad she did it. He won't come back, will he?"

"Not on my watch," Regina answered seriously.

"Mom, I know this might sound weird and completely hypocritical coming from me… But I wouldn't hate you if you killed him."

Regina put her hands on her hips. "Henry Daniel Mills! That is an absolute last resort. He's not worth sliding back into darkness for."

"He's not, but maybe Ma is."

Regina sighed wistfully. "Yeah..." She couldn't help but agree. He did have a point. "She really is."

* * *

Regina walked into Archie's office. "Well, I've had an eventful day."

Archie finished off a note and looked up at her. "Those seem common for you."

Regina nodded. "The intervention worked."

"The bad relationship one?"

"Indeed. Friend was able to break it off, even if it broke them in the process."

"I'm glad they were able to make a healthy choice."

Regina made her way over to the couch. "Friend will probably want to be upgraded to more than friend after they've had some time to pull themselves back together."

"Does 'Friend' have a name?" Archie asked curiously.

"Friend does have a name, but said name is confidential until they've pulled themselves together. I'm not going to spread their business around at such a fragile point. I just wanted you to be aware that you being the only person I'm dating right now might change somewhere in the vicinity of soon."

"That's fair." Archie could respect confidentiality. "You're a kind friend to them for that." He locked the notes away in his desk before moving to sit next to Regina, not leaving as much space between them as he had in the past.

Regina sighed. "I don't feel very kind. It's going to get worse for them before it gets better."

"But when it does get better, it will be better by huge proportions. Especially if they get to have you, too."

Regina smiled. "You're so sweet you're going to give me cavities."

"I just don't want you feeling badly." Archie took her hand, stroking her skin with his thumb. "You did a good thing, having a hand in helping them get out of a bad situation."

Regina's eyelids fluttered as she was enjoying his touch. She looked at him and was taken aback by the adoration she saw in his eyes. "Your hand feels nice and warm," she murmured. She didn't quite know what to do with the adoration she saw. Had she truly earned it?

Archie gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Yours is soft."

"So, how was your day?" Regina asked, handing over the spotlight for a change.

"Well, my morning started with cleaning Pongo's mess from last night."

Regina smiled slightly at the memory. "I could have saved you the trouble."

"Perhaps, but I'm not used to magical shortcuts. Besides the fact that I spent time as a cricket, I'm just a regular guy. I do regular things. You don't need to spoil me too much."

Regina laughed. "Spoil you? I would hardly call saving your time spoiling you. I don't really use my magic often enough on anyone to be spoiling them. It's only been a few years since I got my magic back, so I am still readjusting to its presence. Part of that means using it on occasion, as too much pent up, unused magic is never a good thing. Especially when it's dark." After the second sentence, her tone gradually became more serious. "I do have more neutral and lighter magic in me as well, but at its roots it is still very dark, and those roots run very deep."

Archie ran his thumb across the skin of her hand again. "I didn't say to never use it, just not too much. I suppose you can spoil me a little bit." He offered her a smile.

Regina's eyebrow twitched as her lips spread into a coy smile. "Oh, really?" She leaned further into him. "And how shall I do that?"

Archie chuckled. "I have no idea. However you want?" He was glad he'd managed to get her in a more playful mood.

"However I want?" Regina repeated. "Tsk. Tsk. Now you're just playing with fire." She wasn't sure, though, what she could do that wouldn't be too big or too much, as there was no obvious usefulness for her magic at the present time. After a moment, Regina held up her free hand, palm up, then for the sass, put on a short firework show that was tiny enough to stay in the boundary of her hand.

"It seems to me you're the one playing with fire," Archie pointed out.

Regina smirked and let the sparks in her hand die after another moment. "I seem to have been lacking in ideas as well. Was it at least entertaining?"

"It was. Though I am curious how you don't get burned." Archie ran a finger along Regina's palm, intrigued that he felt no extra heat at all.

"That was an illusion. I wouldn't want to risk fireball magic in here. I also generally need to be angry before summoning those," Regina explained. "And you don't anger me. Not now. We certainly had our rows in the past, though that seems to fall under what we're deeming to be ancient history. Nothing is like it was then, the town's entire dynamic has changed."

"I like now." Archie stroked the back of his fingers along her cheek.

"I like now, too," Regina murmured. She leaned into his touch. "Last night made me very happy." She looked into his eyes.

"I noticed. Perhaps not very quickly, but I did notice. You were great company."

Regina smiled. She turned her head enough to kiss his knuckles before looking at him again. "I'm curious. Have you read The Divine Comedy?"

Archie nodded. "I have, yes, though something tells me it's not as often as you."

"If that were indeed how the afterlife worked, which Circle of Hell do you think I'd be put in?"

Archie's eyebrows drew together. "I'm not sure I want to answer that."

"You won't be in trouble. I'm just curious about what you think. I already have my own idea."

"Okay, then." Archie played with the ends of her hair while he thought. First he needed to recall what the circles were. "I'd say the Fifth Circle."

Regina nodded with a mirthful smile. "Aww, I'm touched you think so highly of me."

"Do I want to know where you think you'd end up?"

"Perhaps not, but I'll tell you anyway. I'm torn between either the Outer Ring of the Seventh Circle for murder or the Bolgia 4 of the Eighth Circle for sorcery."

Archie winced at the thought. "I don't like it." He wrapped his arms around her. "I'll just have to keep you up here in Storybrooke with me."

"It's only hypothetical, Archie." Nonetheless, Regina accepted and returned the hug.

"Well, it would hypothetically be sad for you to hypothetically end up there, Regina." Archie kissed the top of her head.

Regina felt cared about. "Aww," she whispered. She pulled back a bit before running a hand through his hair. "You're quite the affectionate man once you've chosen to date, aren't you?"

"Everyone who is dating deserves an affectionate partner," Archie stated. "That's part of what makes it dating."

"Many aren't fortunate to get what they deserve, then. I feel very lucky to receive it from you. Sometimes I wonder if you're even real."

"I promise I'm real." Archie cupped Regina's cheeks.

Regina covered his hands with her own. "How am I doing so far? I know I'm far from being the best at showing my affection, or doing so at appropriate levels."

"You're wonderful, Regina. You can be intense sometimes, but that's not a bad thing. You seem to have an idea of what you want and ambition comes with that. I'm only concerned by being unsure what our pace is. I don't want to overstep, though I also don't want to end up neglecting you."

"Honestly, I'm trying to take my time with this. I don't want to rush like I have in other relationships, but I'm also impatient, so part of me does want to move faster. You make me feel like a teenager, but I don't want to act like one."

Archie nuzzled Regina's nose with his own.


	11. Chapter 11

Saturday evening, July 25, Regina stood at the docks of the pier with Tinkerbell by her side. Ariel emerged from the water and looked at Regina expectantly, not paying any attention to the former fairy.  
Regina held up the remaining diamond earring to show she hadn't forgotten the payoff of the current favor. The mermaid nodded satisfactorily and placed her armload on the dock before reaching up to take the earring from Regina.

Regina held it just slightly out of her reach. "I'll be needing another favor."

Ariel finally registered the other woman's presence, eyebrows raising. "Oh? What would that be?"

"I need you to provide passage to and from Neverland for Tinkerbell, here. I'm sending her on a very important quest."

"A quest?" Ariel deadpanned.

"Yes, a quest to retrieve a dangerous weapon in a certain pirate's possession. Captain Hook's hook. He has grossly misused it and I want to be sure it never hurts anyone again," Regina responded in a deadly serious tone.

Tinkerbell shrugged. "I have no clue what it's all about, but she told me she'd help me get my wings back if I do this."

Ariel looked between them. "Alright, I'll do it." She reached for the earring again.

Regina let her have it that time. "Thank you, Ariel." She picked up the armload of antidote for Charming, then turned and walked away.

Tinkerbell watched her leave before sliding into the water.

Ariel took one of her hands. "Take a deep breath and hold it."

Tinkerbell nodded. Soon, they were deep in the water.

* * *

Regina tapped at the Charmings' door with the toe of her shoe. She didn't have to wait very long before Snow answered the door.

"More so soon?" Snow asked.

"You can probably expect this to be a weekly occurrence," Regina told her with a shrug. "I won't be coming in this time, though. Emma needs her space and I'm respecting that."

Snow took the armload off Regina's hands. "That's nice, but she isn't here."

"Oh. Well, in any case, I still have other places to be. I just wanted to make sure you got this. I know how important it is."

Snow inclined her head. "Well, thank you, Regina. Good night."

* * *

As Regina was walking, she considered finally stopping by to check in on Zelena. She was still debating with herself on whether or not the potentially dramatic emotional upheaval of an ordeal would be worth it when she heard crying. She looked around for the source and soon spotted a woman on a bench. After a few more steps it became obvious that the woman was Maleficent, who seemed to be unaware of her presence. Regina could just keep on walking. It was what she should do. But something within her compelled her to approach her instead.

"Mal?" Regina spoke softly once she was next to the bench. Maleficent looked up in surprise, clearly miserable. Their history made Regina's heart hurt to see her so afflicted.

"She's gone, Regina," Maleficent's voice cracked.

Regina tilted her head slightly, puzzled. "Who's gone?"

"Lily! She left Storybrooke. She left, and you know I can't leave! I'd crumble back to ashes if I tried to follow."

Regina tried imagining that scenario with herself and Henry, which was extremely painful just to think about. She could sympathize. She wasn't quite sure what to say, however.

Maleficent went on, "She left with that childhood friend of hers. That blonde. Your Swan. What if she never comes back?"

Regina's breath hitched in her throat at the thought of Emma being outside of Storybrooke, but at least it was with a friend. "She'll come back," she stated with certainty. "They both will."

Maleficent sniffled. "How do you know?"

"I just do."

After that exchange, Regina knew it certainly wasn't the night to visit Zelena.

* * *

Regina happened to arrive at home right as Henry did. "Looks like someone's been having fun," she greeted.

"I was at the library," Henry told her.

Regina reached the door first, so she was the one to unlock it although Henry had his own key at this point. "Oh? Would that be for the books or for Belle?" she asked while opening the door.

"Maybe a bit of both," Henry answered, following behind her. He closed the door behind them.

Regina turned around to face him. "Tomorrow I'd like to spend the day together, just us," she announced.

"Alright. Sounds good, Mom."

Regina smiled, glad it was so easy. "Henry, you know I love you, right?"

Henry stepped up to her and hugged her. "I know. I love you, too, Mom."

Regina was pleasantly surprised by the hug and gladly returned it. "You're getting too tall."

Henry laughed. "Sorry?"

Regina held him tighter, grateful for their repaired relationship. It hadn't been easy since the Missing Year, especially for the good chunk of time he had no memory of her being his mother.

"Okay, now you're just squishing me," Henry told her, voice straining audibly.

Regina immediately loosened her grip and took a step back. "Sorry, Hen." She rubbed his upper arms gently.

Henry kissed her cheek. "It's alright."

* * *

By August 12, 2015, Emma Swan's absence from Storybrooke was felt and noticed by the entire town. David had to take care of Sheriff-ing on his own, and though nothing particularly demanding had occurred, it was still twice the workload and twice the time away from his family. Feeling like she'd encouraged the lengthy absence, Regina felt responsible for the strain it put on the Charmings and stepped in to help when she could.

It was hard for Regina not to reach out to Emma even once during that time, but she did refrain from doing so. She thought that even just checking in to see that she was okay would betray her word to Emma, and therefore possibly her trust. It wasn't worth the risk, especially when there was no cause for worry. Missing her simply wasn't a justifiable reason, although it was killing her to see Henry hurting due to his other mother's absence. Especially with his birthday approaching rapidly.

It was even hard to see Snow blame herself and thinking Emma hated her and David. There were a few times she was so inconsolable Regina nearly dragged her to Archie, but she couldn't do that. For one thing, pawning off the mess that was Snow White onto him would just be mean, therapist or not. For another, Regina wasn't ready for those two worlds to collide just yet. She couldn't tell him about Emma yet, though she suspected he'd already worked it out for himself as he remained the only person she was dating.

There had been two more very successful dates since their first impromptu date. At the end of the most recent date, they had decided to make it official, boyfriend and girlfriend. Regina hadn't told Henry yet, wanting to wait until after his birthday. She had a feeling it wouldn't be hard for the townspeople in general to figure it out, given the increased frequency of time they spent in each other's offices during lunch breaks and arm in arm strolls.

Regina was having a cleaning day, which worked out well, since Henry was going to be at some special arcade event most of the day. She hadn't gone in to the office that day, wanting to take full advantage of having the house to herself to get things done.

It was 4:00 PM when there was a knock at the door. Regina had just finished cleaning the kitchen floor, so her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, strands having gotten loose, and was in clothing that wouldn't be missed in the event of being soiled or ruined. She stood up and peeled off the latex gloves, setting them down on a counter before making her way over to the door. She didn't bother making herself more presentable, as she already had an idea of who it might be. She pulled the door open.

"Emma?!"

Emma smiled shyly. "Hi."

"You're… Are you back?" Regina asked, in disbelief of the fact she was currently on her doorstep. Was she even awake?

"You didn't think I could miss the kid's birthday, did you?" Emma asked.

"That's not until Saturday," Regina stated dumbly. She was still in a bit of shock.

"I know how quickly time can fly by. Three little days is nothing. Besides, it was time." Emma stroked over her belly.

Regina's eyes wandered down and she jolted at the sight of the obvious baby bump. "Oh, Emma!" She smiled. "How far along now?"

"Twelve weeks," Emma beamed. "I have you to thank for that."

Regina felt her eyes begin to water. "Can I hug you?"

Emma held her arms open. Regina nearly skipped into her arms, hugging her close, careful not to squeeze her too tightly. Emma closed her arms around her, eyes closing as well. She whispered,

"I missed you."

"I missed you, too. Everyone has. Is this you coming home?"

"Yes, Regina," Emma answered. "I'm home." She pulled back to look at her. She wondered how Regina managed to be even more beautiful than she'd been when she had last seen her. "I've had time to think and find myself again. Granted, nothing is perfect, especially with these pregnancy hormones, so I do still slip. I tried being with a couple different people, just to see if I could, you know? Sometimes it didn't work out very well because I'd flash back to him, but outside of that… I couldn't stop thinking about you, Regina. Lily and I helped each other, she knows she definitely wants to be with Ruby, and I know I definitely want to be with you."

Regina quickly pressed her fingertips to Emma's lips, having a good sense of foresight in that moment. "Don't. Not yet. I am still with Archie, we're official now. We all need to talk before you and I can go any further."

Emma nodded. "Alright, I understand. But can we do that now? I'll have to see my parents eventually, and, well, it'll be obvious that I'm pregnant, which will probably be talked about a lot. I don't know when I'd be able to sneak away if I went there first."

Regina could definitely see Snow delaying Emma with question after question. "Alright. Let me just change then lock up the house. Will letting our magic take us be alright?"

"Should be."

Regina nodded and retreated into the house, closing the door softly behind her. She quickly put away her cleaning chemicals and supplies, disposing of what was no longer needed, then raced up the stairs. She was running on adrenaline and nerves. She went through a dozen different outfits before deciding she'd found one that would appeal to both Archie and Emma. She snagged her purse, made sure she had her phone, nearly flew down the stairs, though appeared calm and collected when she opened the door again. She locked up the house and smiled at Emma. "Ready?"

Emma looked her up and down before nodding. "Definitely."

Regina took Emma's hands in her own, letting her magic carry them to just outside the door to Archie's office. "Do you mind waiting a moment or two? I should talk to him alone first."

"That's okay. Do what you gotta do." Emma squeezed her hands before releasing them. She found a spot on the wall to lean against.

Regina smiled at her before walking into the office and quietly closing the door behind her. She smiled when she spotted him taking a nap on the patient couch. She walked over and knelt next to him. She ran her hand lightly along his cheek. "Time to wake up," she sing-songed.

Archie stirred, then slowly began to wake. His eyes opened a crack, closed again, then shot open. "Hello, there." He smiled.

Regina reached for his folded glasses on his desk. She grabbed them, unfolded them, then slid them onto his face. "Hello, darling," Regina murmured. She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

After the kiss broke, Archie sat up and Regina rose up from her knees to sit beside him.

"Do you remember how I told you at some point you wouldn't be the only person I'm dating?" Regina asked.

"Of course," Archie answered.

"Well, I think that time is right around the corner. Friend has recovered from their bad relationship break up, and they do want to be with me. Friend can be named now. It's Emma."

"I had a feeling that was who it was," Archie told her.

"I assumed you had figured it out by now." Regina took his hand. "I do have a confession to make, though. I hadn't known I would have to keep it to myself as long as I've had to, but I hope it makes much more sense with context. She tried to kiss me before the break up, but it was horrid timing and I told her as much. That was before we had our first date, though. But when she decided to end it, we'd had our date. She needed my help to get through it. She wanted to show him she didn't need him, so she asked me to kiss her and I couldn't deny her. I nearly told you the day it happened, but I thought it would be worse to tell you I'd kissed someone without giving a name. So, I waited, since I didn't want to overstep and share her personal business that she was trusting me to help with. But then she left, and she stayed gone for so long, that I felt guiltier and guiltier the longer I went without telling you. So, I'm glad I finally can. Now you know."

Archie absorbed the information. "Okay."

Regina's eyebrows drew together. "Okay?" She was worried he was upset with her.

"You did what you felt you had to. You have no idea how many things I know about the people in this town that I can't tell you about without violating doctor-patient confidentiality. I'm glad you told me since you felt you now could, but it wasn't a secret you were keeping for yourself. You've been very open from the beginning, I've known and accepted that you never intended to be exclusive, so it really doesn't bother me. If exclusivity were part of the deal, yeah, I might have been a little angry, but even then it would be forgivable given the circumstances. I'm sorry you felt so guilty, but I honestly don't feel lied to. You technically lied by omission, but it was done with good intentions." Archie hugged her.

Regina felt a huge wave of relief as she hugged him back. "Oh, thank goodness," she whispered as her eyes closed.

Archie rubbed a hand along her back before letting go of her. "Go on, then. I'm nearly certain you've got her waiting right outside my door."

Regina wasn't even going to ask how he knew that. She simply stood up and went to the door to open it. "Come on in, Emma." She offered her hand.

As Regina lead Emma into the office, Archie had moved to sit at his desk so the women could sit together on the couch.

Emma smiled nervously as Regina helped her sit down. After Regina sat beside her, she magically closed and locked the door. She looked at Emma then at Archie before letting out a small sigh.

"So… How much do you know?" Emma asked Archie.

"Very little, which is enough to tell me that Regina cares for you a great deal," Archie answered.

Emma looked at Regina.

"Most of it isn't mine to tell. You can share what you want to," Regina told her gently.

Emma nodded, then looked at Archie again. "Well..." She took in a deep breath, caressing over her belly while exhaling. "When Hook started getting violent, it wasn't all at once, so I didn't notice. 'cause it was just the little things at first, you know? Things you don't think matter at the time. It was worse when I found out I was pregnant. He wasn't happy about it, but I thought he came around. Then I thought I'd lost my baby. It hurt so much, so I needed the son I did have, even if it wasn't my day. Of course… You can't do anything out of character without Regina noticing, so she knew something was up. I told her about what I thought was a miscarriage and how he'd caught some fish for me and that was breakfast shortly beforehand." Emma closed her eyes and gripped onto Regina's hand.

After a moment, Emma soldiered on, "So, Regina took me to the hospital, in case my body needed… help moving things along. She was by my side the whole time, and during the exam we heard the heartbeat. I was so relieved, I of course had to run and tell Hook right away. I knew he didn't enjoy the news, but he pretended to so quickly and so well, I just wanted to believe it. Of course, it was too good to be true. One day he was really drunk and I'm pretty sure he was trying to carve the baby out of me, but he just scratched me up. I wanted to tell Regina, 'cause she'd help me. But when I finally got ahold of her, Hook wasn't happy with me at all and I got punished. A long scratch from here, to here." Emma ran her finger along the path it had taken. "But still, I thought it could get better. It didn't. Luckily, my mom got him to leave, and soon enough everyone who matters, I don't know, staged an intervention or something. Telling me how important I was and how they were all on the same page about thinking Hook was bad for me, but that they would support me no matter what I decided to do. I knew what I needed, deep down, but that was the kick in the pants I needed." Tears were streaming past her closed eyes.

"Easy, Emma," Regina murmured, cautioning her. "You don't have to go through everything all over again." She slipped her hand free so she could rub her back gently.

"It's important to talk about it, though," Emma protested, even with a tone thick with emotion.

"It doesn't have to come out all at once, Emma," Archie told her. "Talking about it is indeed important, but not to the point you make yourself sick over it. The stress isn't good for the baby." He stood up. "How about we take a short break? I'm sure Pongo could use a quick walk. You two could stay here."

Emma opened her eyes and looked between them. "Okay," she whispered.

Regina gave Archie a thankful nod. Archie took Pongo out, and once they were gone, Emma clung to Regina.


	12. Chapter 12

Regina stroked her fingers through Emma's hair. Her heart was hurting for her, though at the same time she was glad she was around at all to comfort. "You're safe, Emma," she murmured. "You and your baby are safe." When Emma lifted her head up, Regina gently brushed the tears off her face. "Let me get you some water." Regina had discovered some time ago that Archie had a water cooler stashed in a generic looking closet.

Emma sniffled. "O-Okay."

Regina stood up and went to the closet. She opened it and took a paper cup from the side of the water cooler, which she filled with cold water. She closed the door with her hip then brought the water over to Emma. "Small sips, alright?" Emma nodded. Regina let her have the cup, when Emma proceeded to gulp down. Regina put her hands on her hips. "Those are not small sips." She took the cup away, not spilling anything because there was barely anything left to spill. "You don't need to be getting hyponatremia."

"Hypo-what?" Emma asked.

Regina shook her head. "Bad things happen if you drink too much water too fast. Next time, actually take small sips instead of chugging it."

Emma scoffed. "That's too small to be considered chugging."

"Semantics aside, you know what I mean." Regina rolled her eyes. "And now I know you're feeling better, 'cause you're being snarky."

Emma couldn't fight off the smile that pulled at her lips. "Maybe."

Regina shook her head and moved back to the closet to refill the cup of water. "Let's try this again."

That time when Emma took the cup, she did only take small sips. Sticking her pinky out while doing so.

Regina slapped her hands against her own knees and doubted over with laughter. "Emma, stop!" She could not even handle her at that moment. Those usually tended to be the best moments, too.

Emma pulled her pinky back, done with her sips for the time being. She chuckled along with Regina.

Archie and Pongo came through the door then. "Ah, laughter. Always better than tears," he stated with a smile. He closed the door and let Pongo off his leash, who promptly trotted over to Regina and sat at her feet expectantly.

Regina gave the dog affectionate scratches behind the ears. "Hey, buddy," she greeted. After a few pets on the head, she snapped her fingers and pointed at the dog bed. Pongo obediently moved over to it and sat down on it.

Emma's eyes widened, wondering when Regina had picked up an affinity for dogs. Dating someone with a pet didn't always mean that the pet would also be liked. But Pongo had clearly just obeyed Regina as if she had been the one to train him. Perhaps she had.

Regina sat back down next to Emma and watched Archie walk back to his desk. Once he was seated, she looked at Emma and asked, "How about we focus on the future instead of the past for now?"

Emma nodded. "Alright." She took another small sip of water, feeling nervous again. She had never been a part of anything like this before, but for Regina, she would try her best.

"That sounds like a good idea," Archie agreed.

Regina inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "Okay. So, I obviously want to date both of you. I'd like to keep it separate but equal. I will try to make sure one doesn't affect the other, though obviously there will be quite a bit of overlap." She looked at Emma. "Not to put you on the spot, but what were you thinking regarding the baby?"

Emma swallowed. "Well, I didn't know what was going to happen when I came back, how you would feel, but I kind of had this picture in my mind of you helping me a lot. Like, enough to be the other parent. I definitely don't want to pressure you, though."

"Emma," Regina whispered, feeling her heart soar. "I would love to." She looked at Archie. "Though that would be a pretty big time commitment, which is why I asked." She looked back to Emma. "Henry doesn't know about Archie quite yet, but when he does, it will ultimately be his decision whether or not Archie becomes another parental figure for him. But this baby..." She looked between the two, not sure how to even ask.

Emma knew what Regina was getting at and tried to make it easier for her. She looked at Archie. "Want to be the baby's godfather?" she asked. "If Regina's second mom and anything were to happen to me, you could raise it together."

Archie thought for a moment. He had essentially, in an odd way, been Geppetto's godfather, in the form of a cricket. He had been a conscience of sorts and had tried to guide him into becoming the best person he could be. "I think I could do that."

"Alright, but let's focus on the path where nothing happens to you," Regina stated. "What sort of presence in the baby's life would you be comfortable with Archie having?"

"Well, the baby should know he's their godfather. They should be able to form a bond. Maybe he could babysit sometimes, maybe he could be like a stepfather. I think he's a decent guy, so he can have however large a role you're both comfortable with him having."

Regina rolled her shoulders. "Somehow I get the feeling my separate but equal won't be quite as separate as I initially thought. You might as well join the Charming clan now, Archie. Regardless of the baby, if Henry wants you to be a big part of his life, we'll be around them a lot anyway."

Archie chuckled. "I don't mind that."

"And since we're already talking long term, let's just awkwardly jump ahead even further." Regina was going to be embarrassed, but these topics were important and needed to be addressed. "I'm fairly certain two is my limit, so on the topic of marriage, current circumstances dictate I would be marrying one of you. Now, I don't know your stance on marriage, Emma, so what I'm about to say may turn out to not even be relevant. But, considering Archie's stance on marriage is that it is a bonus, that it looks like Emma and I will be co-parenting this baby, already have a son together, the fact that I'm a biromantic lesbian still definitely emphasizes on lesbian, and, finally, that lesbians are in the minority, I would marry Emma."

"Holy crap, Regina, did you just propose to me?" Emma squeaked.

Regina shook her head. "No, I just answered your proposal from five or however many years into the future." She had to be cheeky. "But, clearly, it would be an open marriage. I wouldn't just ditch Archie." She cleared her throat. "All that said, if marriage isn't in your cards, Emma, I would marry Archie if he asked."

"That sounds fair," Archie stated. "Even if it is a far-off future."

Emma nodded slowly. "Alright, cool. So I get first dibs on marriage. No pressure there."

Regina rested a hand on Emma's knee. "There really is no pressure, I just stated my preference. I warned you that it was going to be an awkward jump and now I'm about to make another one, all for the sake of open and honest communication. Woo, I'm on a roll!"

Archie's gaze raised to the ceiling, wondering what could possibly be next. He lauded her efforts in trying to be fair, but it was uncomfortable, albeit endearingly so.

"Alright, next topic is sex."

Emma sprayed the water she had chosen the wrong moment to drink.

"Ohmygod." Archie hid his face in his hands, full-on blushing.

Regina immediately rubbed Emma's back. "Are you okay? Did you choke?"

"Nearly!" Emma spluttered. She put the cup of water down on the floor, not wanting to repeat what just happened.

Regina frowned. "I'm sorry." She leaned back into the couch. "Oh, great, I've nearly turned my boyfriend into a tomato."

Archie lifted his head away from his hands. "I wasn't expecting all of this. That's all. Go on."

Regina sighed. "Alright. Just try to bear with me, guys. As I stated before, biromantic lesbian emphasizes on the lesbian, especially for sex. Which means Emma's more likely to get laid. That doesn't entirely cut Archie out of the picture, though. I've obviously had sex with men before, I simply prefer it with women. With a man, I enjoy it most when there's a deeper emotional connection. I'll do it for a male partner if it's very important to them, but if it's sex purely for the sake of sex, I won't really enjoy it. One night stands I've had with men only end up making me feel gross, so I don't do that anymore. One night stands I've had with women are amazing, because I don't need that deeper emotional connection to enjoy it. Sex for the sake of sex with women is amazing, though I don't do that very often, either, because on the grand scale of things, romance ranks higher than sex when it comes to importance. I could be perfectly happy in a celibate relationship as long as the romance is there."

"Okay, that was deep," Emma commented. She reached for Regina's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I respect the hell out of that."

"As do I, although that's not quite how I would have phrased it," Archie agreed.

Regina sat there for a moment, giving Emma's hand a squeeze in return. "Alright." She sat up. "I think most of it got covered. For the more immediate future, I know Archie plans on staying monogamous to me." She looked at Emma. "If you want to be with other people too, you can be. Just let me know."

Emma's eyebrows flew up. "Sharing you will be a new enough experience for me. I don't want to be shared, that would be weird for me. I think I'll stick on the monogamous route, too."

"Well, lucky me," Regina replied genuinely. To have a boyfriend and now a girlfriend both staying monogamous to her felt like winning a lottery. "Now, as far as scheduling… I don't want to divide up my time in specific Archie days and Emma days, but I do want to try to balance my time between you as much as possible. To avoid conflict for dates and whatnot planned out in advance, we could share a synced calendar thing." She sighed. One more to go, she was sure. Unless she ended up thinking of more. "Switching gears slightly, chances are one of you will see me out with the other, and there will be some PDA, especially if we're at the same place. I don't want to give jealousy a chance to flare up, so I'd like to kiss each of you in front of the other right now."

Both nodded, each with some kind of verbal acceptance to the request.

Regina stood up. "Alright, boyfriend first." Archie stood up as well, moving around the desk to meet her. Regina looped her arms around his neck when they came together, nuzzling her nose against his before giving him a kiss that was less than chaste, but still suitable enough for PDA.

Emma watched and felt an interesting butterfly sensation, which she chalked up to excitement for knowing she was next. Plus, they were kind of adorable.

Regina broke the kiss with a sweet smile, caressing his cheek. Then she turned from him. "Alright, Emma's turn." She walked over to the couch, offering her hands to help Emma up onto her feet. Emma accepted the help and smiled at her. They were finally going to have a kiss with good timing. Regina tucked a stray strand of Emma's hair behind her ear, then cupped her cheek. She returned Emma's smile, then leaned in to softly claim her lips. It was more chaste than the kiss with Archie because they were newer than she and Archie. It was a lingering kiss, though.

Archie leaned against his desk while watching. It was obvious to him that the pair were already in love, whether they knew it themselves yet or not. He may have had the head start for dating Regina, but Emma obviously had the longer, more passionate relationship. He recalled it was hate at first sight between them when Emma first arrived in Storybrooke, but there was really a very thin line between hate and love. Sometime after the curse had broken, they'd been blown over that line, he was certain. Despite the other relationships they'd found themselves in. Archie was glad to see his girlfriend happy, even when that happiness was caused by somebody else.

When the kiss broke, both women had huge smiles. They looked over to Archie to find him smiling fondly at them. His watch started beeping. "Well, ladies, that's my cue to start preparing for my next appointment." He pressed the button to make it stop. "You've got some catching up to do, I'm sure."

Emma looked at Regina. "Come with me to my parents'? I don't want to be there alone."

Regina nodded. "Alright." She looked at her boyfriend. "I'll see you later, Archie." She blew him a kiss, which he pretended to catch.

Emma's nose wrinkled. "Ew, you're too cute."

"I know, it's nauseating," Regina replied. She winked at Archie before taking Emma's hand and letting her magic carry them away.

* * *

Snow's jaw dropped. "Emma!" She stepped forward to hug her daughter. "Oh, hi Regina." She hugged Emma. "Oh!" She jumped back. "You're…?"

"Yep!"

"David!" Snow called into the house. "Emma's making us grandparents again!"

Regina rolled her eyes, because of course the station was left unmanned.

Snow started dragging Emma inside, who promptly grabbed onto Regina and started dragging her with. Regina ended up shutting the door behind them as David was coming down the stairs.

"Emma's pregnant?" He asked.

"I am," Emma answered.

David looked straight at Regina. "Did you do it?" He even threw in a point.

Regina laughed. "What?!"

"No, dad. It's Killian's," Emma told him.

"Damn." David snapped his fingers. "I was hoping it was Regina's."

Emma and Regina sent him twin looks that said 'WTF?'.

Snow shrugged. "What? You've got magic fingers, Regina."

Regina purposefully banged her head against the door. "I'll give you an hour to understand what was wrong with that sentence, and then you'll understand why I'm telling you to never say that again."

Emma was practically crying with laughter at that point.

"Can we just pretend it's yours?" David asked.

Regina eyed him. "Well, I suppose if that would make you feel better?" What Twilight Zone episode had she just walked into?

"It would," David told her.

Whatever floated his boat, she supposed. It was kind of touching, in a very odd way. Regina looked at Emma. "Apparently your parents are already willing to believe we've had magical, baby-making sex, dear. Do you suppose they'll string up a pinata once they hear we actually started dating?"

The high-pitched squeal did not come from Neal. Regina suddenly found herself being swung around in Snow's arms. "Role-reversal!"

"Please stop."

Snow released Regina, but was still all smiles. "Sorry, just – Emma's home, and there's a new baby, a new romance… There is so much to be happy about!" She clapped her hands together.

Regina subtly pinched herself to check that she was, in fact, awake. That this bizarre everything was happening in actual reality. It appeared to be so.

David hugged his daughter. "I'm glad you're home, sweetheart."

"Me too, Dad," Emma replied as she hugged him back.

"Where did you go?" Snow asked Emma.

Emma pulled out of the hug. "I had to get out of town and clear my head. I know I snapped at you all, but I wasn't leaving to get away from you. I was with Lily, we hit a few different New England states. I just needed to be back in my world for a while, away from responsibilities and haunting memories. I didn't tell anyone because I thought someone might try to stop me and it was something I really needed to do for myself."

"You seem a lot happier," David observed.

"Because I am." Emma reached for Regina's hand. "All silliness aside, Regina and I really did just get together, and we're planning on co-parenting the baby."

Snow tilted her head. "I could have sworn I've seen you cozying up to Archie, Regina."

"We're sharing her," Emma explained quickly. "We were just at his office working out some of the details of what that means. He's going to be the baby's godfather."

"And whatever Henry wants him to be after I tell him. I'm waiting until after his birthday, though," Regina added. "As for Emma and I… We're very new, so it may be a good idea to wait longer before telling him about us."

Snow gasped, clapping her hands onto her cheeks.

Regina looked at Emma. "She just realized what she said earlier."

Emma giggled.

"Well, since you've told us… Would you like to stay for dinner, Regina?" David invited.

Regina looked at Emma, who nodded enthusiastically. Regina smiled. "I would like that, yes." She was not expecting such quick acceptance, but she would certainly take it.

* * *

"Remember when Henry started stealing your clothes for me to wear?" Emma asked. "What was it you'd said, then, Regina? Something like, 'enjoy my shirt, Miss Swan, 'cause that's all you're going to get'? That was a funny joke."

Regina scoffed with a smirk. "You can't use that against me. I didn't know anything back then."

"Settle down, children," Snow told them.

Regina whipped her head around. "Excuse me? I am older than you."

"You're still basically my daughter now."

"Stop that."

David cleared his throat. "This is a family meal, let's be civilized."

Emma laughed. "This is very civilized, Dad. I don't even have my elbows on the table."

Regina smirked. "Well done."

Neal started crying, which made Snow sigh and get up to retrieve him.

Regina had come to realize throughout the course of the visit that humor and silliness was a coping mechanism within their family. Everyone was trying to keep the mood light, as it had been all too serious concerning Emma recently. The Charmings were really happy to have their daughter home, and the jokes, perhaps especially the ones at her own expense, were their way of treading lightly. By that point everyone had nearly finished the actual meal and were just spending time together.

Regina finished cleaning off her plate just as Snow was sitting back down with Neal. "Thank you for having me, but I think it's about time I get going."

Emma pouted at her.

"I need to be getting home to Henry. Don't look at me like that."

Emma fluttered her eyelashes at Regina in addition to the pout.

Regina stood up. "You can walk me to the door."

Emma hopped up out of her seat as quickly as she could.

"Bye, Regina," the Charmings' echoed, while Regina took Emma's hand and started walking out of the room.

Regina raised her free hand over her head and waved her fingers at them in parting.

Emma was pouting again when they reached the door. Regina leaned in to kiss that pout away. Once it broke, Emma whispered, "Thank you so much for everything."

Regina hugged her, figuring a couple extra minutes wouldn't hurt.


	13. Chapter 13

Thursday, August 13, there was a knock at Regina's door at 7:30 in the morning. Regina happened to have already been awake, so she went to answer. She was nearly physically knocked off her feet at the sight of Emma willingly being awake so early. "This is unusual..." Regina reached out to feel Emma's forehead. "Do you know what time it is? Are you feeling alright?"

Emma playfully batted her hand away. "Is Henry still asleep?" she asked.

Regina nodded. "As far as I know."

"Good. I wanted to wake him up and surprise him."

Now it made sense. Regina melted a little at Emma's sweet idea. "Alright. Well, come on in." She stepped back, holding the door open wider, then shut it behind her once she was inside.

Emma reached for Regina's hand before she could walk too far away. "Yesterday was amazing. I feel like it would have gone differently with my parents if you weren't there."

"Well, it was certainly different with you there. You being gone meant David was working twice as much, and Snow needed help with Neal. So I was there a fair bit, and the longer you were gone… It became the elephant in the room. No one dared talk about you after a while. Of course, I don't think anyone was hurting nearly as much as Henry, so I'm really glad you came to do this."

"Everyone really missed me that much?" Emma asked, choked with emotion.

"Of course we did." Regina pressed a soft kiss to her lips, which she kept short.

A few minutes later, Regina was standing in the doorway of Henry's room, head leaning against the frame as she watched Emma creep over to his bed as silently as possible. Emma cautiously sat on the edge of his bed before beginning to run her fingers through his hair.

Henry twisted, grumbling, "Five more minutes." In his mostly asleep state, he assumed it was Regina trying to wake him up.

Emma smirked over at Regina before proceeding to push the tip of Henry's nose up, elongating his nostrils. "Hey, kid."

Henry shook his head to be rid of the strange sensation, then finally registered the voice. His eyes shot open, then he blinked a few times to make sure he was awake and not dreaming. "Ma?"

Emma smiled at him. "Hi."

Henry launched himself at her, throwing his arms around her. "You're back!" He held onto her tightly, burying his face in her shoulder. Then the boy who was turning 14 in two days began to cry. "I missed you so much..."

Emma immediately felt a lump form in her throat at the sound of her son crying. She held him close and rubbed along his back. "I missed you, too, Henry," she whispered. She pressed kisses to the top of his head.

The scene was both heartwarming and heartbreaking for Regina to witness. It was hard to see Henry cry, but she was glad to see them united. It was hard to believe that it had only been a few years since it had been her life's mission to keep them apart. So much had changed. None of them were the same people they had been then.

When the tears stopped, Henry pulled back and noticed how extended Emma's belly was. "Woah, you really do have a baby in there!" He slid down and pressed his face against it. "Hello, baby. Remember me? It's your big brother, Henry."

Neither woman had the heart to mention that the baby couldn't hear him, nor likely hadn't developed ears yet. They let him have his moment.

Regina heard her phone alarm go off in another room and remembered that she was supposed to be having a meeting soon. "Why don't you two spend the day together?" she suggested. "I've got this whole being the mayor thing I still need to do."

Neither were going to argue with that suggestion. "Okay!" Henry chirped. "Bye, Mom, love you!"

Regina chuckled. "I love you, too, dear." She left the door way to fetch her phone and turn off the alarm. She made sure she had the perfect politician presentation, which hadn't used to require double checking before, as it was her general style all the time. Now, however, she'd noticed she was adopting a more relaxed style more and more frequently. It wasn't completely casual like Emma's style tended to be, but it wasn't pantsuits or pencil skirts all the time anymore, either.

* * *

Regina had a random thought in the middle of the meeting that latched onto and kept gnawing at her brain to the point it was unbearable by the time the meeting was over. Luckily, Mother Superior, aka The Blue Fairy was part of the meeting, so Regina was able to simply ask her to stay behind a little while longer as everyone else had been dismissed.

The fairy nun regarded her curiously, though accepted the request. "Was there something else to cover that the others can't hear?" she asked, although she couldn't think of what potential privileged information there could possibly be.

"This doesn't concern that," Regina answered with a shake of her head. "I had a worrying curiosity that I believe you can provide the clarity for."

"Alright. What do you want to know?"

"I know you had a significant role in Dr. Hopper's -"

"Your boyfriend," Blue interjected.

Regina sighed. "Yes. Terminology aside, I know you were involved in his former state of being a cricket. If I recall correctly, you'd told him something about living as long as was needed to help Geppetto." Regina swallowed. "Who is now pretty old. So, what happens when he dies?"

"Oh, you're worried!" Blue exclaimed, finding it cute. "You don't need to be, Regina. My magic essentially paused the progression of his natural lifeline. Without the curse, he would have returned to his former human state in the event of Geppetto's death, with the rest of his natural life ahead of him. I don't know the mechanics of the curse, though considering none of us aged until it was broken, I think it's safe to assume that those 28 years don't count against him and he still has many more to go. His life isn't tied to Geppetto's like that. He'll live on. Though, I must say it's not going to be an easy time for him when that day comes. Imagine if you stayed this youthful throughout Henry's life and the day came when you lost an elderly Henry, and you still had half a century or so of life to live."

That scenario immediately brought tears to Regina's eyes. The hurt touched the depths of her soul. The initial relief she had felt to know Geppetto's death wouldn't mean Archie's death was completely gone. And that was just from her own imagination, which would pale epically compared to the real thing. She didn't know how to respond.

"It might go without saying," Blue went on. "But I'm going to go ahead and say it anyway. He's going to need you when that time comes, Regina. He'll need you more than ever."

Regina nodded tersely. "Thank you for the information. You may go." Once she was alone, she propped her elbows on her desk and lowered her head into steepled fingertips, each index finger pinching the bridge of her nose between her eyes. She needed a few minutes to recover from the horrifying imagined scenario and process the fact that it would someday be her boyfriend's reality. Try as she might to fight off the quiver in her jaw and the lump forming in her throat, she couldn't stop herself from breaking down.

There was just enough wiggle room for the thought to sneak in that for someone who had been once known as the Evil Queen, she certainly cried a hell of a lot.

* * *

Regina entered Archie's office with a bag from Granny's in her hand.

Archie looked up from his desk, pleasantly surprised. "What's this? I thought you might be spending time with Emma today."

"I let Henry have her for the day. Especially since she showed up at my house early in the morning just to wake him up and surprise him. He really missed her, and I hadn't mentioned her return. I had a meeting, too." She held up the Granny's bag. "I brought lunch."

"I see that. What's the protocol for that?"

Regina smiled slightly. "When it's not mutually planned and it's a surprise, only the one doing the surprising pays. It wouldn't be right to expect to be paid back for something you didn't know you'd be getting."

Archie smiled as he rose from the desk. "Thank you for that."

They sat together on the couch. Regina placed the Granny's bag on the floor, opened it, and retrieved the square styrofoam carry out container from within. She placed it on Archie's lap. "You can open it."

Archie pushed the tabs in and lifted the lid. "Grilled cheese sandwiches?" he asked knowingly with a warm smile.

Regina shrugged. "It was our pre-date meal," she told him with a matching smile.

"Pre-date?"

"Yes, or practice date, whichever. I was scoping the field, so to speak, and you were being endearingly difficult." Regina bumped his shoulder with her own before grabbing one of the sandwich halves, of which there were four total.

Archie chuckled. "I know what it was. I just like hearing you describe things." He pressed a kiss to her temple before grabbing a half for himself. He let his other arm drape around her. Regina cuddled up to him before taking her first bite. They enjoyed being close as they ate their lunch together, comfortable enough that they didn't need to communicate with words while their mouths were otherwise occupied. Pongo's nose was twitching at the scent of food the entire time, but was well-behaved enough not to beg.

Once finished, Regina stated, "I just realized that Henry's birthday will mark a month since that meal."

"Only one month? Wow, it feels like it's been longer." Archie moved the empty container off of his lap and put it back into the bag.

"It does," Regina agreed. She pulled her legs up and rested them across his lap. "Though at the same time, it also feels shorter." She looped her arms around his neck, one hand bracing the back of his head, fingers scratching idly. She looked into his eyes for a moment or two before playfully plucking his glasses off of his face with her free hand and sliding them on herself.

Archie chuckled. "That's cute, but I bet you're regretting that."

Regina nodded. "I really am. How the hell do you see with these things?"

"Well, they're actually my prescription, so that helps." Archie slid the glasses down her face just enough so they rested on the tip of her nose, and his breath hitched in his throat. "And that is another word entirely."

Regina smiled sinisterly before kissing him. Archie slid a hand into Regina's hair as he returned the kiss eagerly, his other hand bracing her back. The kiss went on until the both of them were out of breath.

Regina pulled the glasses off and slid them back onto Archie's face. "These seem to be dangerous on the wrong set of eyes." She winked.

"Perhaps so." Archie combed his fingers through her hair. "You're already temptingly beautiful enough as it is."

Regina smirked. "Am I?"

"Oh, you know you are." Archie kissed the tip of her nose.

Regina chuckled. "Okay, maybe I do." She stroked his cheek. She smiled at him before asking, "Feel like going on a 'klaw'?" Flipping 'walk' around was their recently discovered way around getting Pongo prematurely excited.

"I would enjoy that."

Regina pulled herself up off of his lap so she could stand up. She picked up the Granny's bag and tossed it into the garbage. She retrieved Pongo's leash, running it through her hand where she knew the dog could see it. "Pongo, walk time." Pongo pushed himself to his feet and trotted over to Regina, promptly sitting at her feet with a wagging tail. Regina clipped the leash onto his collar and straightened up to find Archie was already behind her. She held the leash put to him. "I believe it's your turn."

Archie took the leash. "Indeed."

Regina held the door open for them, then closed it behind them, magically making sure the door was locked. She took Archie's free hand and they began their walk.

Several minutes later, they took a break, sitting down at a bench together. Regina crossed one leg over the other, observing their surroundings for a moment before looking at Archie. "Would you ever want to travel outside of Storybrooke together sometime?" she wondered.

"That could be fun," he answered. "I remember you mentioning wanting to go to Canada."

"Baby steps. There are plenty of interesting places in the states to be seen, first. Places where French isn't the dominant language."

"Did you have somewhere specific in mind?" Archie asked curiously.

"A few places. New York is a must," Regina answered. She settled her head against his shoulder. "Storybrooke will always be home, but it can be boring here sometimes. Everyone almost knows everyone else in some way, even if it's just by reputation. Sometimes it's nice to go somewhere and be mostly surrounded by strangers who have no idea our town exists."

Archie rested his head atop Regina's. "That does sound appealing. Would we bring Pongo wherever we'd go?"

"Of course," Regina answered as if it were a given.

Archie chuckled. "Are you sure you haven't become a dog person?"

"If anything, I'm more of a Pongo person," Regina answered. She had to admit, she had gotten rather attached to the dog. She was even more attached to his owner, though. "And he'd love the attention he'd be bound to get, too." She closed her eyes.

"I'm sure he would," Archie agreed. His pet's favorite place to be was the center of attention. He turned his head just enough to press a lingering kiss to Regina's. Finally, he decided to ask what he'd been wondering in the back of his mind since she'd walked in with Granny's, "Is something bothering you today?"

Regina raised her head to look at him. "Why do you ask?"

Archie's eyebrows raised slightly, "Firstly, because I care. Secondly, Granny's for lunch. There was definitely a sweet sentiment attached, but it seemed like there was something more to it. I could be wrong, though if I'm not and you're not comfortable talking about it, I don't need the details. Just tell me yes or no."

Regina was touched that he noticed. He really did care. She cleared her throat. "Yes," she answered. She refused to drag his mood down, too, and would spare him the details.

Archie nodded. "Alright. Thank you." With the hand that wasn't holding the leash, he tenderly cupped her cheek. He hoped whatever it was that was troubling her would resolve itself soon. "Do you want a hug?"

Regina smiled and nodded. She would never turn down an opportunity for one of her boyfriend's amazing hugs. The two rose from the bench, Archie quick to envelop his girlfriend in his arms. Regina closed her eyes while hugging him back, basking in the feeling of safety she was provided with. She was used to him being the rock and wasn't quite sure what to expect when it would be her turn. She knew she could be good at it, as she had been Emma's rock, but with Archie she didn't know if she would be good enough. She worried it might be the one thing she wasn't good enough for. She just didn't want to fail him.

After a while, Archie told her, "I don't have another appointment for quite a few hours."

Regina looked up at him. "Does that mean we can take this walk over to your place and watch more of that vampire show?"

Archie couldn't have fought off his smile if he'd tried. He'd thought Regina had merely been humoring him at first, but it appeared she had truly gotten into Buffy the Vampire Slayer – even if she couldn't remember its name. "If that is what you'd like to do."

Regina pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "It is."

* * *

Regina was curled up next to Archie on his couch as the second episode of the second season of their show began to play on his television, resting her head against his shoulder.

 _Giles: (clears his throat) W-w-w-what I'm proposing is, um… and I-I don't mean to appear indecorous, is, is, um, a, a-a-a social engagement, um, a, a, a, a-a date, if you're amenable._

Regina gasped excitedly and clapped her hands a couple times. She had been waiting for this! Granted, the man was currently talking to thin air, but was clearly practicing, which was enough cause for excitement.

Archie chuckled in amusement. Her reactions were better than the show itself sometimes. He kissed the top of her head, hoping she was now thoroughly distracted from whatever had been bothering her.

 _Giles: You know, uh, Jenny, um…_

 _Jenny: Hmm?_

 _Giles: Would it a-appear indecorous… Uh, no, not in-in-indecorous, um…_

 _Jenny: Yeah…?_

 _Giles: Well, um… Wha… (exhales) Ah, ah, um…_

 _Jenny: Rupert, look, I've gotta get inside and set up the lab._

 _Giles: What, what I'm proposing is…_

 _The bell rang._

"Damn," Regina whispered. Stupid bell.

 _Jenny: Ah! I gotta go! Sorry! (goes into her classroom)_

 _Giles: (to himself) You idiot!_

 _Jenny: (sticks her head back out) Hey! Listen, if it's important, why don't you just tell me at the game?_

 _Giles: Game? Oh, uh, you're going to the football game?_

 _Jenny: Yeah, you seem surprised. (smiles)_

 _Giles: No! No, I-I-I-I-I-I just assumed that you, you, you spent your evenings downloading incantations and, and, and casting bones._

 _Jenny: On a game night? Are you nuts? You're going too, right?_

 _Giles: Oh, of course. Always, always do._

 _Jenny: So, we should just go together! Look, I could pick you up after school, and we'll grab a bite to eat on the way if you like. How do you feel about Mexican?_

 _Giles nods._

 _Jenny: Good! Okay! And whatever it is you wanna tell me, you can just tell me then. Okay?_

 _Giles: Okay! Tonight, then._

 _Jenny smiles and goes back into her classroom._

 _Giles: (to himself) That went well. I think._

Regina grinned. "Aww, they're so cute! They're like us."

Archie nearly choked on his own saliva. Oh dear. "I do not stammer quite that much," he lightly protested.

"No, but librarian to therapist isn't all that much of a stretch. Jenny even looks a bit like me."

Archie decided right then that he was going to shield Regina from the seventeenth episode of that season for as long as he could by stalling their viewing of it as long as possible. "If you say so, dear." He kissed her cheek. He could let her have that, though as he knew what would happen, he obviously couldn't agree.

Regina smirked. "I do say so." She kissed him sweetly. "You just do not know how amazing you are, do you?"

"Erm..." He had no clue how to respond to that, so he took it rhetorically. Otherwise it seemed like a lose-lose situation, one way to respond may come off as idiotic, and another may come off as prideful or arrogant.

Regina giggled as she settled her head against his shoulder again, returning her focus to the show. Not all of her focus, though, as she couldn't resist playing with his fingers while holding his hand.

Pongo decided to join them, plopping down in front of the couch and curling up on the floor.

As Regina reached down with her free hand to idly pet the dog, she had the wandering thought of asking her boyfriend what he would think about finding Pongo his Perdita. Without the triple digit litter, of course.


End file.
